


Black chains, White feathers

by SmolFluffyPanda



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angel Hybrid, Angel/Demon Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Clubs and Lounges, DMC1/Anime Dante, Demon Summoning, Demons Are Assholes, Depression, Dreams and Nightmares, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fear, Female Reader, Freeform, Getting to Know Each Other, Guilt, Half!Angel reader, Horror, Hostage Situations, Human Sacrifice, Hurt/Comfort, Jazz - Freeform, Kidnapping, Long chapters!, Loss of Innocence, Mentions of Murder, POV Alternating, Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reader has character development, Rituals, Scents & Smells, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Singing, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Survivor Guilt, Takes place post DMC1 pre-Anime, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Usual demon horror escapades, mentions of attempted murder, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:01:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21517144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolFluffyPanda/pseuds/SmolFluffyPanda
Summary: Y/N, at six years of age, knew how cruel the world was after being abducted and surviving being sacrificed to a Duke of hell. The Duke let her live, only to make her a gift to his master to get back in his good graces once more when she was of age in his eyes, granting her freedom on a time limit. She grew to be paranoid, never staying in the same place twice and certainly never staying in one city for more than a year in an attempt to hide.Dante, freshly having survived the hell that was Mallet Island, gets a job from Morrison to reunite a desperate man with his daughter for the biggest payday of his life. All he has to do is find Y/N and bring her to her father.But once the hourglass runs out and the Duke comes to collect Y/N, Dante realizes this job isn't all it seemed.*Author's first fic. Please don't post anywhere else!
Relationships: Dante (Devil May Cry)/Reader, Dante (Devil May Cry)/You
Comments: 11
Kudos: 87





	1. Prologue: The first grain of sand falls in the hour glass

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! o/ This is my first fic and first time posting here. I've been a year-long lurker on this site and got inspired to write this. I've tried to catch all mistakes but if there are any please forgive this noob! 🙇
> 
> I've toned down this story a bit thus the tags and warnings have changed. The tags are always subject to change until I actually finish this story, so keep an eye out for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! o/ This is my first fic and first time posting here. I've been a year-long lurker on this site and got inspired to write this. I have no beta reader so I'm gonna die like a woman here lol. I've tried to catch all mistakes but if there are any please forgive this noob! 🙇
> 
> In this first chapter I'd be an idiot not to warn you of the following things;
> 
> Child sacrifice, mentions of abuse against children and ritualistic violence.
> 
> With those warnings out of the way, please enjoy the prologue that sets the background of the rest of the story.

The stars above shine brightly upon the damned, the dead, and the beaten. Cold wind blows through the once empty building, it's roof torn away - through time or intent, one could only guess. Stone walls were weathered with time crumbling away yet standing tall as the day it was placed, determined to stay where it was laid to rest. This was only part of what you could see from your prison made of iron underneath the infinite night sky.

Figures in dark robes spoke in hushed and quiet tones yet all filled with joy, excitement, and jolliness. The atmosphere was that of a party but who knows what they were celebrating. It wasn't Christmas, it wasn't Easter either.

With broken fingers on a small hand, you cling to the bars of your cage. A child, no older than six years of age, abducted, beaten and soon to be damned to your kidnapper's wishes. You weren't the only child as in the cages that surrounded you were filled with others around your age, perhaps even slightly older.

Some were already dead from malnutrition or disease and some were beaten to be quiet if they cried. Food was rare as you and the other unfortunate souls were trafficked around the world for many a ritual and sacrifice, though nothing ever came of them, perhaps tonight was no different? Many of the kids around you shivered with the chill of the cold wind that passed through the run-down building and small cages. All that every one of you had to wear was a white silk smock. There was blood and dirt mixed into not just yours but many, staining it a dark crimson and muddy color. 

There was one thing you hold in common with every kid here. Every one of you had an unnatural deformity - from arms and legs covered in scales, to tails, claws, and wings. Your deformity was minor compared to limbs but very much disgusting. Your right eye was surrounded with skin that looked and felt like porcelain with golden intricate swirls and designs that didn't make sense. It looked like half of a masquerade mask. The white of your right eye was dark crimson while the pupil its self was a bright red.

A stone altar was set in the middle of the building, the cages surrounding it hugging the walls. One of the robed figures began to chant as they poured a mixture of what looked like white dust onto the ground in the shape of an odd-pointed star, another began using a crimson liquid to write words in a language that was not of human origin around the star. Every child's eye was watching with fear and anxiety. 

One of you were going to be sacrificed, whether it be through death and mutilation, or through torture and torment.

You weren't sure how long you were abducted by this... _cult_. Though you were there long enough to know what they did to the unlucky ones brought forward like lambs to the slaughter. Some had been stabbed until they breathed their last, others had their still-beating hearts ripped out while the most unlucky ones had the parts that were deformed carved away and left to bleed out on the sacrificial altar.

The truly unlucky ones were the ones subjected to the acts of torture in the name of whatever god they wished to appease and then were killed.

It was a guessing game. Who was next for the slaughter? To answer for their parents supposed sin of cross-breeding? 

To pay for the sins of their parent's _lust?_

A fire burned in a cauldron overlooking the white star as more people in robes walked around the marking on the ground, the inhuman words glowing a bloody red. The first one to chant grew louder, others joining in the unholy chorus. They were speaking but none of the words you knew. You never did know them, only hearing them when they wanted to hurt one of you in the name of pleasing one of their gods.

Screams broke through the chanting as one of the robed people came around to the cages on the hunt for the perfect sacrifice for the night. Many children rushed to the back of their cages, curling into a ball trying to disappear and look as small as possible. Some screamed out in anger, cursing their captors to hell and back along with their gods. Others cried their hearts out begging for both mercy and their lives. Some walked forward to the gate as if resigned to it, willing to die to not suffer any longer.

You clung to the bars and stared the hooded cultist, defiance in your mismatched and possibly also unholy eyes. The possibility of you ever being free was low and after being trafficked into country after country, crossing borders of many different lands and continents, you had lost hope of freedom.

The cage door opened and you were grabbed by your tiny wrist by a large hand dragging you out forcefully. You resisted at every tug, pull and angered shout.

"Come, you _unholy child!_ " A male voice growled from underneath the hood of the robed person who dragged you to the center toward the sacrificial altar. "A little half breed girl like you will finally have a purpose. Embrace it!" The man's voice was old and gruff. He spoke with disdain at your very existence.

You screamed, kicked and punched as he lifted you from the ground onto the altar by your waist. Many hands reached out and bound your limbs to each corner, shackling you to stone. With your heart threatening to pound out of your chest the hands that bound you held you down as you cried out for help, for some kind of hero to come save you. To save all the kids and to defeat the unknown robed people.

They all leaned over you obscuring your view of the night sky. The stars above twinkled as if they themselves cared not for your blight. As if they were taunting you with their freedom in the dark blanket that covered the world. You wondered if you cried out loud enough would every star in the sky take pity on your poor soul and rain down in great balls of fire thus freeing not just you, but every other child here?

A knife was raised and with the loud call of a word unknown, it was plunged into your chest. Your scream echoed throughout the compound, your voice being carried through the cold of the night. Bones cracked against the sharp blade, blood sprayed onto the cultist's hand. You screamed as the blade was taken out and plunged in again, and again, and again. Over and over. Blood pooled underneath your body but you didn't die. Death its self was making fun of you with each piercing the cultist made. Blade to skin, to flesh to bone.

Howls of laughter, screams, and words you did not know filled the night.

Lungs filled with blood, your screams went silent. You knew you weren't human because of your eye. No one here, not even the adults in robes were human - well, you believed with their wickedness they couldn't be human. Your body was healing its self slowly yet you kept yourself very still hoping they'd perceive you as dead. You prayed your reptilian-like stillness fooled them, you even held back your coughs of blood. A few moments of no one moving, speaking, let alone breathing took place before they unshackled your limbs and rolled your body off of the altar.

"Useless. She wasn't it either." A female voice said with disgust.

"Lord Zepar, why won't you heed our call?" Another female voice cried with despair.

Crying could be heard in the cages along with prayers to various gods of the conventional and popular religions. It was rather funny, given that yourself and the kids around you were either hybrids or full breeds of that which could be unholy. Heaven and hell were more than likely closed off to all of you for the sins of those who gave you life.

The cultists shushed the kids, yelled at them as you stayed where they dropped you. You dared not move and you kept your breathing light as possible. You got off lightly. You weren't subjected to their extended torture before they moved to slaughter you, a small mercy. They always moved on after a sacrifice, always throwing the body into the great fire overlooking the ritual. Though you still drew breath you were destined to burn alive. Would death still make fun of you? Keep you alive as your flesh was burned from your bones?

Six years of age. Six years of age and you knew how cat-like death was. It played with the poor soul before finally putting it out of its misery.

_And it always did so, painfully._

Unknown to all around the fire overlooking the sacrificial altar began to burn brighter, hotter and more intense. The blaze burned as if gasoline was added to it. The flame roared bursting forth from its cauldron in a pillar of searing flame. It's light engulfed the entire compound and you had to shut your eyes to save yourself from blindness as the adults and some children yelled they couldn't see. The flame must have burned so hot that it ridded one of their senses.

The white behind your eyes dulled as an imposing and dark voice cut through the screams.

" _Angel..._ " A single word uttered before a loud chorus of cheers and praying from the cultists. Their god had finally answered their call. How long had these people been trying to gain the attention of this deity? It surely must have been years given how his followers practically bragged their loyalty, that they kept their faith strong through their trials of hardship. They disgusted you with their grovelling, and it seemed it disgusted their god as well.

A smell of ash and sulfur burned your healing lungs and itched your nose. A cold feeling spreading throughout your chest. It was as cold as the wind that was blowing through earlier and you wanted nothing more to sleep. Adrenaline pumped through your tiny body willing you to stay awake. You thought no one would notice if you got up and ran away now that all eyes were on what they sought the most. Another thought had you wondering would they try and stop you if you tried to run away.

You took your chances and lifted your slowly healing body onto tiny, dirty and bare feet, a pool of blood beneath them warm underneath your toes. In front of you were the cages, beyond the walls around you, you remembered there was a forest. If you could slip away while the adults grovelled, while the children who cried out they were blinded wouldn't see you, you'd be free.

At least, that was what you had hoped until the voice roared out once more.

"Bring me the angel. _Give her to me._ " Its voice was deep, raspy and imposing. A male voice filled with a malice that demanded submission.

Complete pandemonium followed his command and many pairs of hands grabbed you all at once, pulling at your hair, your face, your limbs. With a hoarse throat, you cried out for someone or something to save you, but the only response you were given were orders to be silent in the presence of lord Zepar. That you should be grateful that he called for you, a dirty hybrid.

With the little energy your body still had you kicked and screamed. A tiny fist actually hit the devout follower that was holding you in the eye causing them to drop you. You fell face-first onto the ground and were held down onto the cold, dirty concrete by many hands.

You looked up and saw in the fire, a large, royal looking man in red and silver armour. A giant, a titan. He was the source of the ash and sulfur smell - the smell of hell? The underworld? His followers beneath him must have looked like ants, and you must have looked like an insignificant dot to him. The deity had horns on his helmet that concealed his face, they are pointed and sharp. His crimson armour was adorned with silver accents and designs, sharp jagged pieces of metal jutted out like claws.

This god's aura was dominant, evil and commanding. All of your senses were firing off in the presence of his evil. He could easily snap every person here in half, wipe them out with a swing of the sword on his hip. Why would anyone pray to a god such as him? Out of fear? Out of hope to be in his good graces?

He looked down at you and you turned your eyes away from him. A low rumble shook the ground - was he laughing at you?

"Even here, the angels will not give a demon the time of day. Even if your blood is mixed with a human's." The god sounded amused as you struggled in the grip of the many hands that held you down. "You'll do nicely."

"My lord! What do you wish of us to do with her?" An elderly female voice called out. The last syllable left her lips and she was set aflame, burning alive where she stood. She screamed running around trying to put herself out, but she fell to the concrete silent. A chorus of screams from the cages followed her soundlessness.

With a wave of his sword, a hush fell across the ritual grounds. This monster is no god, these men and women have been worshipping a demon. You've lived your short life so far in pure fear but it was never as evident as it was now to how much fear your heart harboured. You survived the altar, you survived the knife, but something told you that you wouldn't survive this.

"Why...? _Why me...?_ " You mumbled shutting your eyes tightly as they could be closed. You weren't going to cry no matter how much your eyes stung with tears.

"Why? Because angels are... _rare_. Half breeds like you even _more_ so." The monster smiled underneath his helmet, his voice filled with amusement as he crossed his armoured arms. "However, I have no interest in you... _yet._ " His gaze never left your restrained body, the cultists looking on at him in awe, but confusion as to why you earnt his attention. You dared not look up at him save for a few glances.

"I simply detest children, as does my master. These... _sacrifices_ were pointless." Your blood turned cold at his words. You were all killed for nothing? Was this just a game to him? Mustering all your courage you glared at the false deity with every bit of hatred you could muster behind tears threatening to fall.

"You have some fire to you angel, and _my_ master shall enjoy tearing your spirit from you." The demon's voice dripped with delight. "Rejoice, Angel. You shall live until you are of a more tolerable age. Then, and only then shall I take you to my master. You will make the finest gift, and the most beautiful of pets." With an armoured hand, he pointed at you. "Until then, you shall have your freedom. I will claim you when I deem fit. I will mould you into a beautiful pet fit for my lord. Your time to be free is now, but know that from this moment forth, it is ticking down." The demon spoke with a drawl as he made his declaration, pleased at the fear in your eyes. Your heart would not cease it's racing pace as he all but told you that your life would never truly be your own, that you only lived because he wants to give you to some other demon. It made you sick and confused the cultists around you even further, who looked to one another whispering in hushed and frantic tones.

"Now, as for the rest of these... _pests_. You disgusting humans have outlived your usefulness. Surely, you are wondering what your reward is now for your service to my master and I, hm? Well, _embrace my everlasting gift to you all._ "

The demon raised his sword and flames engulfed all that surrounded you. Screams, cries, and pleas for mercy deafened you as the hands that held you down let go. The flames didn't touch you, but they burned every other person around you. The smell of ash, sulfur, burning cloth, and flesh made you try and bury your head into the concrete. The ground was cold while you laid flat on it. You covered your ears with your broken hands but they did little to muffle their howls of pain. Many voices cried out cursing the demon, cursing you and the children they had captured. The children burned alive in their cages, their voices joining in cursing you and the demon known as Zepar. You didn't need to understand their languages to know that they went to their graves reviling you as they cried to their gods for mercy on their souls. 

The cultists burned as they fell to their knees praying while the less faithful ran around trying to put themselves out. Some tried to take you with them, but the flames that surrounded you burned red hot, burning them to bone as they tried to reach beyond to grab you. You screamed and tried to say it wasn't your fault, that you should not be blamed but your voice was unheard in the chorus of blame, pleas, and pain.

The building fell silent, save for the sound of burning fire. For what felt like hours you laid on the ground, hands still covering your ears, eyes shut tightly. In the span of mere minutes, everything you detested was now little more than ash. You wanted to be free, but not like this. The sound of the demon Zepar's voice cut through the crackling of the flames, voice uncaring of the destruction he wrought with one swing of his sword.

"I will come for you, child. Until I do, you have your freedom. Do as you wish." You opened your eyes and looked up at him through the blaze, hands falling away from your ears. With one more swipe of his sword, the flames were extinguished and he disappeared along with the fire that once was burning in the cauldron overlooking your execution. He left you alone in the empty building that was once to be your grave.

You looked up to the dark night sky, the stars above now twinkled in mourning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Written by SmolFluffyPanda and beta read by AllayaVeyo


	2. Why don't you do right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something was off about that man. That something is a thing you want to know, but the overly paranoid part of you is screaming to stay away.
> 
> You felt as though time was rushing towards you, and the hourglass was now running out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Today's chapter will be looking at Y/N 20 years after the previous chapter. I have a specific version of 'why don't you do right' in mind while I was writing this, which is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM7nJvDOFJ0
> 
> Just the speed and tempo of it just seemed so right.

Vanity is a sin. 

Pride is a sin. 

Your job required you had both and you wouldn't do it if it didn't pay well. They say the chorus of angels is second to none, that the voice of an angel could right all the wrongs and stop evildoers in their tracks. It was a shame that you couldn't see the true effect of your voice on those who listened, or did they listen at all?

This was a question you weren't sure you wanted to be answered, but you pondered it all the same as you sat at your vanity table. Hair in a beautiful chignon, make up done to perfection (well, as perfect as you could make it with your eye), jewellery sparkling in the lights around the mirror that reflected your painted overtired face back at you. You looked beautiful, save for a white eyepatch in the shape of a rose covering the porcelain skin and horrific eye that lay beneath it.

As you grew older, the porcelain of the skin that surrounded your right eye grew along with you. It stopped just above your cheekbone but reached above your brow. It was a small mercy that it didn't cover your entire face or you'd never be able to work. The pupil, however, stayed it's crimson colour as did the eyeball its self. It was too much to hope for that it would fade with time, but after twenty years you had lost hope of that.

Hope was lost with a lot of things. The only constant was the promise made when you were naught but a child. The demon in red armour still haunted your dreams, his words still etched into your psyche. The smell of ash and sulfur, your senses alight with the evil he was. The cultists, the children, their burned bodies and screams of agony as the flames stole their lives will forever torment you.

The lone survivor.

You pulled up your white stockings and attached them to your garter belt. The clips clicked onto the silk and held the nylon fabric up. White gloves that reached up to the tops of your arms rubbed against it, causing a small feeling of static to run through you for the briefest of moments. You were almost ready to whore your voice out on stage. 

A knock on the door and a gruff voice came through as you adjusted your white underwear and bustier. "Five minutes until showtime." The stage hand's footsteps faded away while you got up and stared at yourself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. Without your dress on, you looked little more than a common stripper or harlot but you knew you were neither.

No, the place you worked at night had you singing on stage at one of the better bars in Vinxit. A 'classy lounge' as your boss put it. You sang for gangsters, crooks and desperados of all descriptions in the darker side of Vinxit. It was a terrible use of your blood, but at the end of the day you lived like a human as you lived in their world. Often, you thought your voice held very little effect on the criminals that heard you. Perhaps it didn't, as there were faces you'd see almost every time you'd walk out on stage. Maybe the power of angels is just a little too hyped.

With a sigh, you looked through the rack of white dresses in the corner of the room. Tonight's song was ' _why don't you do right?_ ', a jazzy song about a woman wanting money from a broke man. Story of your life.

You pulled out a white, form-fitting, strapless dress. It had a slit down the side to show off your legs even as the fabric almost touched the floor. You quickly stepped in and pulled it up. The dress squeezed your chest to accentuate your cleavage and the cut of the slit made your legs look long. The shoes you chose from another rack beside the ones with the dresses were a pair of white stilettos that made your legs look even longer with the extra height they added. You were almost perfect, the last thing you needed to put on was an almost unhealthy amount of rose water.

Rosewater covered your scent, making you smell of nothing to demons or angels alike. It was an extra measure that you were sure that kept you alive this long. Every little thing you did in trying to curb away anything to do with demons or Zepar meant another minute of being free.

A sigh left your pink painted lips after dousing yourself in angel-scent-be-gone. After your set was over, you couldn't wait to wash off the painted on falseness required of your job and become you again. Whoever that was.

The walk to the backstage was relatively quiet. Everyone was doing their jobs from the stage set up, lighting, everything that was needed to be done before your song. The most important thing was they left you alone. People have learned long ago to leave you be unless they absolutely must speak with you. You liked it like that. You held little faith in humanity, and if the human race were to disappear tomorrow there would be no tears shed from you.

It was better this way, after all. The day Zepar comes knocking no one would be hurt in the crossfire.

Passing the stagehands and the previous singer who came off of the stage not a few minutes ago, you made it to the closed curtain and took your spot centre stage in front of the microphone. A silver, vintage piece of equipment you've become well too acquainted with over the last year. It's heard you fake a variety of emotions and carried them to the speakers to be played to all the low lives in this disgusting building.

You hated this job, you hated humans, but perhaps you hated yourself just a bit more.

The musicians took their places, each of them glancing at you before gingerly taking their seats. No matter how many times you all played together, you didn't even know their names and you doubted they even knew yours - well your real name. You tossed out a false name to anyone who asked it. That was good. That was the best thing. No one knew who you truly were.

" _Please, put your hands together for Ms.Cassiel Leucosia!_ " The announcer's voice was shrill over the speakers. The name you chose showed clear the dividing line in your head clearer than anything else, for it was the name of the angel of solitude. A state of being you've been in for as far back as you could remember.

One side of the line, you wanted to run in the hopes of eluding Zepar. The other side of the line was surrendering your freedom entirely to the demon which seemed inevitable. Both sides left you alone in solitude but you couldn't run forever, you knew this but wanted to try. Yet now that the years rolled on and he hadn't tried to come and get you, you thought of settling down in one place instead of moving city to city. Even with all the money you've earnt singing for the lowest of the low, and things you did as a teenager you wished to forget such as being a thief, you chose to live in a camper van. Never did you park and sleep in the same alleyway twice, not that you slept much anyway. Makeup, like you were wearing now that the curtain drew up, covered up your sleeplessness.

" _You had plenty money, 1922,_ "

Your voice carried through the earthy coloured bar dyed in red neon. A smokey room that reeked of cigars, cheap whiskey, and desperation. The bar at the back had its patrons, some of whom glanced at you before returning to nursing their drinks and sorrows. The tables that dotted around and in front of the small dance floor before the stage had gruff, rough-looking characters talking amongst themselves, your song little more than background noise. The waitresses wandered around with trays in their hands and dresses that left little to the imagination - at least yours left a bit of mystery. Above the patrons was a large crystal chandelier that did very little other than look pretty. To the side was a balcony that housed the lounge owner's office and allowed the more... _important_ guests to sit. Those with more money than sense. It was placed there so he could hear the music and little more.

" _You let other women make a fool of you,_ " The bassist began to play, as did the pianist. Soft notes from grey strings and keys of black and white accompanied your melodic voice.

You swayed your hips slightly, trying to look enticing and sensual while deep inside you were seething. No one was listening, answering your earlier question. An angel's voice holds no effect on those who choose not to hear -or it just holds no power at all. You liked singing, but you wished you could sing for an audience that actually cared. It was the only pleasure you allowed yourself. They never listened to you anyway, and possibly the only way you'd get them to listen is if you started stripping - which is a low you haven't sunk to and you pray you never will have to.

" _Why don't you do right? Like some other men do?_ "

A false smile graced your face as the door leading to the outside opened. A man entered. A man you had never seen before. A man whose presence made you stutter your last note slightly. The bar reeked with evil, and with him inside it now you felt it. Following him inside was a scent of ash and sulfur, albeit very _faint_ , it made your heart begin to palpitate slightly quicker. A scent you were unfortunately familiar with.

The crystal chandelier above reflected the man in its many hanging diamonds. Shaggy white hair parted in the middle. A black turtleneck and boots, a red leather vest with a long red coat and pants to match. If he was looking to stick out like a sore thumb amongst the earthy tones of the bar, and these criminal's affinity for black, beige and browns then he succeeded. It struck you as odd that he carried a guitar case as well. Musicians generally came in through the back of the club.

" _Get outta here, get me some money too,_ "

A woman followed inside after him, with short black hair that threatened to cover her eyes, she wore a white suit with contrasting black accents. Her suit's slacks were actually shorts and on her legs were gun holsters holding a pair of pistols. You held your surprise as the bouncers generally took any weapon off of the patrons before they entered.

That chandelier above you reminded you of the stars. It twinkled like them that _very_ night, even now they taunted you with their freedom even if you could only see their light artificially. It didn't stop the creeping feeling of history now attempting to repeat it's self.

" _You're sitting there wondering what it's all about,_ "

The pair made their way to the bar claiming two seats. The man in red turned around on the barstool facing the stage, leaning his elbows back onto the counter top. The woman raised her hand gaining the attention of the barkeeper.

" _You ain't got no money, they will, put you out. Why don't you do right?_ "

The suited woman passed a drink to her - partner? date? It couldn't be a social thing as now that you were looking at them, they were armed to the teeth. The woman with her aforementioned pistols, and the man with a pair himself. Security clearly weren't doing their job tonight and their presence wasn't only making you nervous.

" _Like some other men do?_ "

You weren't exactly making it secret you were eyeing the pair up. Their evil scent was crawling through your nose attacking your senses with each passing second. Their presence reminding you of Zepar, powerful and demonic. These weren't ordinary low lives, that was for certain. You had felt this before, in the presence of Zepar. You had experienced this scent before, in _the presence_ of Zepar. A sudden tightness gripped your chest at the thought that this was him, he's finally showed up to take you away, but you'd be damned if you didn't finish your song first. He wasn't going to take away the only thing that kept you sane.

The woman touched his upper arm with the back of her gloved hand getting his attention. She said something and they laughed, but what about you didn't know.

" _If you had prepared twenty years ago, you wouldn't be a-wanderin' out from door to door,_ "

Your movements were slow and deliberate. Your facial expressions calm and enticing. Your voice husky and sensual. His attention was on you, watching your every move. You made eye contact with the white-haired man and he winked and smiled at you. You almost broke the character you played for this song at that. The crowd never paid heed to you, but he did. Someone finally heard your voice but of course, it had to be something _evil_.

" _Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_ "

He watched you, and you watched him. You gave a cheeky shake of your hips in time with the bass as he took a sip from the clear glass in his hand filled with what looked like whiskey. The black-haired woman spoke to the barkeeper while your single uncovered E/C eye took in more of the sight of the man beside her. Broad shoulders, chiselled jaw, and quite the large chest. Even with his odd colour scheme, he looked handsome in an almost otherworldly way. It set you even more on edge and only started ringing alarm bells in your head as to who he may or may not be.

Silently, you prayed he didn't have anything to do with Zepar. That he was, like all the others in this bar, a scum of the earth criminal. Yet with this scent and presence, it was unlikely.

" _Get outta here, get me some money too,_ "

The owner of the bar emerged from his office on the top floor, walking down the stairs of the balcony above towards the pair. Eddie was his name and he was nothing but a fat, balding, perverted bastard. More than once he had tried to catch a peek at you in the dressing room until you demanded from maintenance a lock be put on the door. You were glad that it wasn't Eddie that decided who performed or not - who knows what he would have had you do to get the opportunity to sing for the crooks of Vinxit?

Eddie had a potbelly, a grey balding head and a moustache to match. He came out of his office in the same old brown pants, white shirt, and suspenders, all complete with sweat stains. You couldn't be near the man for longer than five minutes before he began to reek of body odour. It seems the duo at the bar quickly learned that as while they spoke, the woman covering her nose with her gloved hand.

The owner of the lounge looked panicked as he spoke with the pair, physically out of breath gasping for air from both the sudden exercise and possible fear in front of the duo. The only people Eddie feared were those who he owed money to - were these people debt collectors?

" _Get outta, get me some money too,_ "

The man in red kept his eye on you throughout the exchange the suited woman and Eddie had. Whatever was being said must not have been of interest to him but your song must have been. None of the scumbags in here would have cared if you sang or not, let alone what kind of song you sang but he was both listening and watching.

There was something was different about this man but you couldn't put your finger on it. He gave you the cold, evil feeling you had felt in the presence of Zepar, but it wasn't threatening. You could smell ash and sulfur but it was extremely faint. Could it be him, not his partner that's giving you this feeling and scent or something else that's lurking nearby?

" _Why don't you do right? Like some other men..._ " Silence filled the air, as the musician's fingers left their instruments for the briefest of moments. You made direct eye contact with the white-haired man and smiled right at him before letting lose the final note of the song. " _Do...?_ "

The man chuckled to himself and turned his face away from you for a moment. His partner looked annoyed at him as he turned his attention back to you. Your hips swayed with the closing piano keys and you blew a kiss to the crowd as the curtain was drawn down. Now that the crowd no longer saw you, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. Your heart was beating a mile a minute - a first since you started working here. A part of you couldn't believe what you had done, you had never singled out a person from the crowd and interacted with them while performing before.

Something was off about that man. That something is a thing you want to know, but the overly paranoid part of you is screaming to stay away.

You felt as though time was rushing towards you, and the hourglass was now running out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Written by SmolFluffyPanda and beta read by AllayaVeyo


	3. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Hello everyone. This story went under a huge restructuring and now that I have a beta reader/editor I can finally get this story in the direction I originally wanted it to go in.
> 
> Chapters 3+4 have been rewritten and some new details added to 1+2 (they're minor and mostly grammar editing but worth re-reading to refresh after the hiatus) and I've figured out why I was unhappy with this fic, it's the time stamps I feel I have to have things either drawn out or all at once. 😅
> 
> Lots and lots of dialogue here folks. I think I spent too much going over Dante's mental state but after dmc1 I think our red devil is depressed (hell knows I would be). I wrote him a little blunt and kinda tired to reflect this, kind of like a transition from 1 to 2.

Rain pitter-pattered onto the window as it fell from the dark clouds outside of Devil Never Cry. The rain always brought with it bitter memories in it's soothing sound to Dante. In the back of his mind he could still hear the clashing of demonic steel, he could still feel the sparks from a furious fight burning his chest only to be soothed away by the cold of the rain.

Life really was a cat to him, always hissing, always doing whatever it wants and if it can cause his day to be miserable, it will do so. Death, on the other hand, was a dog. It was a constant but unwanted companion in Dante's life. It followed him like a ghost and howled as his blade sang through the air into the flesh of those who dared stand against him - be it human or demon.

Or his own kin either.

Mallet island, a job that literally crashed through his door hasn't left his thoughts since it was destroyed. The physical wounds may have faded, but the mental trauma was only now setting in. Dante should be happy or the very least content. He sealed Mundus in whatever circle of hell, saved the world and got somebody else to take on the jobs he couldn't give two shits about to keep the lights on.

It's been a month or two months or thereabout. If life was a cat and death was a dog, time was a fish. A fish that swam with the stream and no matter how hard one tried, no one could catch it.

Life clawed at Dante, while death followed him as he tried to catch time to make it still so he could catch his breath. To finally comprehend what he had done on Mallet Island.

Killing _Vergil_ , his own _brother_.

Trish tried to convince him it was a mercy killing, that Mundus corrupted him beyond recognition - and to an extent she was right. Without his blue coat and Yamato by his side, he didn't recognize him. Not until he saw Vergil - _Nelo Angelo_ \- writhe in pain before bursting into a cloud of black. The only remnant of his past life being his side of the amulet their mother Eva gave them for their eighth birthday.

Some days, he believed Trish's words. Other days Dante could only stare at force edge and believe his actions were unjust, filling his head with ' _what if_ 's instead.

Even after years of trying to drink away the feelings left over by Temen-ni-gru, the fallout of Mallet Island brought it all back to the forefront. Why weren't emotions physical so he could shoot them down and carry on? Things would be so much easier if he didn't have to deal with feelings on things he cannot change. Time wouldn't allow him to go back and stop his brother from being seduced by the idea of gaining the power of their father. He sort of wished Lady shot Arkham more than once in the head atop that tower.

If Dante could have stopped Vergil, what would things be like now? Would they be working together or would they be as they always were - separated with the distance filled with hatred for one another? Could it even be called hatred or was what they had on some other emotion that didn't have a name? Maybe they would do what Lady always complained about what men never did and actually talked through their issues? Lady just didn't understand that the way both Dante and Vergil communicated, the only way they could communicate, was through fighting one another. More was said with the demonic steel their father wielded before them than words ever could convey.

Vergil made it very clear with Yamato, that he resented Dante. Made it clear as crystal that he had no intention of letting go of his plan to gain father's power, that he would cut down all who stood in his way. It down right near killed Dante when he defeated his brother on Mallet, to see where his hunger for power left him. Little more than a pawn of Mundus. Dante didn't even know it was his twin until it was too late. He could have saved him - he didn't care what needed to be done he would have done it. Yet now Vergil's body, at least the armour that was left behind along with his sword, lays in ashes of the destroyed island and among them Dante's lost hope of having some semblance of his family back.

The door opening to the shop pulled Dante out of thoughts, the sound of the rain followed the bell ringing breaking the silence of the room. Dante was lounging in his chair at his desk with his feet kicked up and hands behind his head. Lazily he opened one eye to see who decided to interrupt him licking his mental wounds.

It was Morrison, briefcase in hand and a smile on his face like he'd just won the lottery. Dante wasn't particularly in the mood to deal with anyone after last night's mayhem with Lady and her chaotic job of clearing out a nest of marionettes and nobodies - the smell of their putrid nests will probably be still in the air when the client goes to check. The things he does to keep Lady off his back... He was tired, but sleep, like time, was a hard thing to catch.

"You ever hear about knocking, Morrison?" Dante asked the broker as he placed his feet onto the floor, boots making the wood creak in protest.

"We both know you'd ignore it." The broker replied to him without missing a beat and the hunter groaned.

"Only because you've been sending small fry my way with pennies as pay." Dante replied to him with a of matter-of-fact tone. As of late he'd been giving him minor jobs that they both knew Dante was just going to give to Trish. The demoness was still adjusting to the human world and what better way to learn about it than by playing gatekeeper and killing a few devils to keep the lights on?

The smile on Morrison's face only grew bigger. "Well Dante, I ain't got pennies for ya this time. C'mon we're going out."

"Out? Where we going?" Hopefully it's not another client with ' _oh please help me my basement is riddled with demons_ ' when in actuality was probably a rat or two. Twice these last two months he had those kinds of calls and he couldn't exactly charge for them, which was annoying.

Morrison turned leave back outside. "To meet your new client, this job is somethin' you don't wanna pawn off on your new room mate though." He motioned for the hunter to follow him.

"Oh, so you've brought something that'll actually pay the rent this time then?" Rent day was coming up and boy did Dante hate rent day. He wouldn't mind it so much if the people he had debt with weren't money sucking vampires whenever he got a dollar in his hand - or maybe he should actually hire an accountant to deal with his lack of control with money? But that would cost even more money and just add to the list of those sucking his wallet dry.

"That and then some. I'll explain on the way."

"What, we on a time limit?" Dante quipped as he got up from his desk.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I'd say we are." The broker walked out of the shop, Dante following behind him but stopping at the entrance. Just what had Morrison dragged in that required him to go to the client instead of the other way around?

"And just where are we headed?"

"We're not going out too far, just to a house just outside of Jongvale." Jongvale wasn't exactly far from the shop but not close either. Probably a fifteen or twenty minute drive, but it wasn't really a place Dante would go to as it was mostly populated by rich folk with too much money and time. Rarely did he get jobs for there, or rather take jobs from there as the people would rather shoot themselves before parting with any kind of money even if he earned it.

"This client must loaded to live in a place like that. Enough with the suspense Morrison, what's the job?"

"Hope you're okay with kidnapping, cause that's what I got lined up for ya." Almost immediately the hunter turned around to go back into the shop, only to be stopped by the broker's hand on his shoulder. "Now hold on, hear me out - this ain't your usual kinda gig I know but this is gonna be one _hell_ or should I say _heaven sent_ of a pay day."

One _heaven sent payday_ , huh? It'll probably just be pennies by the time Morrison's had his cut, property damage was paid and along with the rent. Not much was left of it after everyone had taken their slice from the proverbial pie. It was no wonder Dante was always broke with everyone always wanting to get their hands in his pockets.

Abduction was not apart of the normal jobs he got, and it wasn't a line he'd cross, and hell knows he's crossed a lot of them. "Forget it Morrison, find somebody else for that gig."

"The job is finding some rich guy's daughter and bringing her back to him. Now usually this ain't the kinda job I'd peddle or even consider handing out, that was until he said how much he was willing to pay, and _what_ the target was."

"A job like that usually comes with a catch Morrison. Who's paying up? Mafia? Politician?" Dante turned to the broker with a furrowed brow.

"Business man, actually." Morrison corrected.

"Cut to the chase. It's a demon - why kidnap one of 'em? Is the client running some kinda underground fight club featuring them?" Dante quipped leaning on the door frame of the shop.

"Not a demon _per se._ Get in the car and I'll explain everything, at least humour me here, Dante. This is a job you don't want to let slip through your fingers." The broker was getting soaked in the light shower of rain, his suit turning from a dark navy to black.

Dante sighed, just what did he have to lose here other than time? It was Monday, one of the slowest days of the week and he wasn't expecting any calls or deliveries. The least he could do is say 'no' to the client's face given how adamant Morrison was about bringing him to them. "Fine, but pizza's on you if this turns out to be a waste of time." The hunter made a minor detour back into the shop for rebellion along with ebony and ivory before stepping back out into the rain and locking the shop door.

Morrison's car sat waiting out front, it's red metallic paint covered in rain as the grey clouds above drifted lazily along in the sky. Dante placed rebellion's guitar case in the boot before opening up the passenger side door. Once inside the broker handed Dante his briefcase before he fumbled with his keys. The inside of the car was cramped as it always was and with the amount of money Morrison makes one would think he'd invest in a car with a bit more leg room.

The broker started the car, it's engine sputtering once or twice before giving a low rumble. A new car definitely would be a good investment if the sound of the engine was anything to go by. He drove out of the residential district of Capulet and onto the main road.

"As I've said before, the client is a business man but he's on his last legs in the final stages of heart disease. His name is Mr. Jacob Osborne." The broker said as Dante placed his briefcase onto the back seat. "He wants to see his daughter one more time before he kicks the bucket."

"Sounds like a job more suited to a private investigator than a demon exterminator." Dante said kicking his feet up onto the dash and leaning back in the passenger's seat.

"That's what I thought too but there's a reason he's paying up a pretty penny, and a reason I went straight to you with this." Morrison stopped at a red light, the traffic was moving rather slowly this afternoon. "Tell me, what do you know about angels, Dante?"

"I know they're not my jurisdiction, if there is any in the world. Are you sending me out to return an angel to heaven? Would be a change from sending demons back to hell at least. Let me guess, his daughter is one of the divine?" The red devil knew all there was about demon kind, or most of what's important to know such as social hierarchy, mating cycles and how lesser demons become minions of much stronger ones. Dante couldn't begin to count the number of times he's had to kill lesser devils hanging around his shop for taking out their boss. Though, he didn't know much about angels other than common knowledge - messengers of god, strong but with noble hearts, unbelievably beautiful and _very_ rare here in the human world. As far as Dante knew, they tended to keep to themselves and hideaway in heaven unless given orders from the big guy upstairs. That was fine by him, the human world had its hands full with demons.

"Correct. Should you decide to take this job, which I know you wouldn't be stupid enough to turn down, is to find and bring her to her old man. Y'know she's pretty much your opposite," The traffic began moving again as Morrison turned onto the road for Jongvale. "Her momma was a angel while her daddy was a human."

To hear an angel had a human's kid goes against what's known of angels. It seems not even the divine can keep their pants on around humans and Dante shook his head at the fact. "No kidding?" They say everyone has an opposite but Dante didn't think it would be in the literal sense. "What happened, how'd the old guy lose her and how'd he manage to score with one of the divine?"

Morrison chuckled at the use of Dante's words. "He wouldn't say much about the mother, but he went on and on about his daughter and how he lost her one Christmas eve. Poor bastard had to watch as she got abducted right before his eyes in the middle of a market. Of course he tried to stop it, but it was too late. He spent years trying to find his lil' girl but to no avail. She was only six at the time and it's been twenty years since then."

The hunter huffed. It sounded like an open and shut case given how much time had passed. "That happened when she was a kid so she's more than likely dead. With demons running around the possibility of her returning to the great above is almost guaranteed. You _know_ how much angels and demons don't get along."

Morrison turned into Jongvale and Dante could already feel the unearned entitlement just from the sign leading into the town. As far as the eye could see were houses that damn near looked like mansions with perfectly cut lawns. The place reeked of money, even in the rain. Dante thought the broker would carry on through town, but caught him off guard as he turned onto a country road.

"I know, which is why I picked _you_. You managed to convince a demon to be your room mate and take on the small jobs I hand you - who's to say you can't convince an angel to come home? Her name is Y/N and the old man has about three or four months left to live, if his doctor is anything to go by hence why I said we're on a time limit." The road was ridiculously bumpy and looked as if it hadn't been driven on in years. Calling it a road was generous, especially given that it was mostly mud with tufts of grass growing in the middle of it surrounded by trees growing over to make a tunnel. How this road was made possibly was through sheer determination from various heavy vehicles, Dante presumed.

Morrison was putting a lot of faith in him for this job and Dante already had a bad feeling about it. Angels more than likely stayed hidden in heaven because of demons. It would make the most sense as for millennia they've been natural enemies since the underworld's inception from possibly the beginning of time. Dante wonders if his father saw Satan be dethroned as the ruler of hell, and wonders if the reason angels stay in heaven was under God's decree.

"And Osborne thinks his daughter will be found before he croaks?" Dante could barely hear himself think of the vibration of the car on the road.

"He's paying us to find out if we can beat the clock, ain't he? He's offered two million dollars as pay for this job."

"Wait he's paying _how much?_ "

"Two million to either bring her back to him alive... or find out if she's gone back to heaven so he can die in peace."

Morrison turned off the country road to a grand gate painted silver. Either side of it had pillars of white with white lions carved into the top of both of them, poised to strike. The house it's self was a mansion that put every other house in Jongvale to shame with it's grey brick work, red slated roof and just _how_ many windows could he see from the front alone? There was even a fountain out front one must drive around to pull up to the front door. No wonder this guy could easily drop two million dollars.

A scratchy tinny voice came through an intercom on Morrison's side. " _Hello, may I ask who is calling?_ " It sounded like a woman's voice, possibly a house keeper.

"It's Morrison. I brought someone to help Mr. Osborne about his missing daughter, as he requested."

A ringing buzzing sound echoed throughout the otherwise quiet country mansion as the silver gates creaked slightly as they opened up. Driving up to the door was almost as spectacular as the opening of the gates with the garden in full bloom either side with various wild flowers and fields of green maintained to the highest standard.

A woman with a dark coloured maid's outfit that reached the floor opened the grand wooden double doors of the mansion. She looked dainty and frail, as if a puff of wind would blow her away. Her straight blonde hair flirted with her shoulders but never touched it. She was an older woman, possibly in her mid to late forties.

"It's good to see you again so soon, Mr. Morrison." The maid smiled as one of the footmen opened the doors to the car. Dante raised a hand in thanks getting out of it and going straight to the boot to collect rebellion. The way the maid watched his movements didn't go unnoticed and by the look on her pale face he wasn't what she was expecting when Morrison said ' _I brought someone to help_ '.

"Mr. Osborne is still in his room. He has been eagerly awaiting your arrival since yesterday." The maid's voice was soft as she spoke, almost too sweet to be wholesome. "If you would come this way." She gestured for the pair of them to follow her inside the mansion's grey brick walls.

"What can I say? Quick results are a must with a time sensitive case such as this." Morrison replied to her with a smirk. Dante shut the boot, slinging rebellion's case onto his back. It felt slightly heavier than usual, or was that his imagination? He put it down to not having it on his back for a while.

The pair followed the maid inside of the mansion, the interior as grand as outside. Walls of white lined the entrance way with marble flooring to boot. The entrance was bright, even with the dull grey clouds outside dulling the daylight. Dante could only imagine how blinding it would all be in the sun actually shining. It reminded him of Mundus's pantheon with it's architecture.

The wide staircase branching off in two directions to either side of the house was as over the top as the gate they came through. It's silver bannister was polished to a mirror sheen, and it too had lion's one must pass. These ones however were posed in a more relaxed manner, Dante noted.

"I do hope I'm not over stepping my boundaries here, but may I inquire as to who this gentleman you've brought with you is?" She asked almost afraid as they stood in the door way and Dante could tell there was disdain as she motioned to him. Sentiments are shared right back at ya, old lady.

"This is Dante, handyman and demon exterminator. Also part time damsel in distress saver." The broker introduced him and Dante a tiny cracked a smile at his joke. Technically that last part wasn't a lie after Mallet island, but still.

"Well I do hope Ms. Y/N is not in distress in this current moment!" She gasped. "If Mr. Morrison has faith in you, then I hope Mr. Osborne will as well." With that she led them up the grandiose stair case and down a long hall with rooms either side with a painting or two inbetween if the spacing allowed it. "Mr. Osborne has never been the same since he lost Y/N."

"How so?" Dante asked as they made their way past what he could only guess was a painting of the birth of Venus. It looked like a blur with how quickly they were walking. The entire hall was decorated with recreations of famous paintings.

"He was an outgoing and generally happy man before Y/N was abducted. She was practically the sunshine in his life, but rain clouds took her light away and Mr. Osborne became a recluse. He only went out because his job demanded it, but once he took ill that ended that." The maid spoke solemnly, possibly reminiscing days gone by. She must have been here from the start when you were possibly living here.

The maid placed her hand on the door and turned to both of the men with a stern look on her face. "I asked that neither of you say or do anything that would set Mr. Osborne's heart racing, positive _or_ negative. His condition is... _fragile_ to say the least." She warned with a whispering voice.

"Dante will be on his best behaviour."

"Had a feeling you'd send me in alone." The hunter sighed.

"It's your gig. I'm pretty sure the old guy doesn't wanna see my face again so soon."

Quietly the maid opened the door and held it for Dante to walk in. The room was large, with a hospital bed in the middle. Shelves of books lined the walls, even hugging the large window that held a view of a seemingly endless garden of flowers. The wooden floor was a contrast to the tiles at the entrance and halls. It was all rather plain and simple with it's earthy tones.

The bed's occupant was hooked up to many machines surrounding him, most connected to his heart. A subtle but constant beeping sound could be heard in the other wise silent room. The person in the bed who Dante assumed to be Osborne, had his head turned away from the door, looking outside the window at the rainy day.

"Mr. Osborne, Mr. Morrison returned and brought with him Mr. Dante -"

"Just ' _Dante_ ' thanks." Dante turned to the maid who looked offended at how informal he was being.

A chuckle came from the hospital bed. "Thank you, Grace. Would you mind leaving us alone?"

Grace bowed and shut the door behind her. Osborne turned his head and smiled warmly at the hunter. He gestured to come closer, to which Dante took a few cautious steps. As Dante closed some of the distance he took note of Jacob's surroundings, namely his bedside table with piles of what looked like photo albums. It's drawer was open and inside were papers and beige folders, possibly filled with something to do with either this job or his business.

"You must be who Morrison picked to help me find my daughter. I must admit, I didn't expect him to send someone so... _young_." The old man's voice was rough and raspy, yet still held a warm and welcoming feel to it. Almost fatherly even. He was old with a balding grey head and the man must have been in his late seventies given how deep his wrinkles were in his skin. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jacob Osborne. I would shake your hand, Dante but I'm afraid I'm a bit uh, _connected_." Jacob held his hands up for Dante to see and he wasn't kidding about being connected.

"Looks can be deceiving, Osborne. I'm going to tell you now, abduction isn't a thing I do. I hunt demons, not take 'em home." Trish was an exception, however. It was better to tell him all this now and have it out in the open.

"If you won't take a demon home, then perhaps you would be so kind as to lead an angel back home instead? I assume Morrison told you of my daughter?"

"Of course. Story goes that you got lucky with one of the divine, had a kid, and she got angel-napped at the age of six, correct?"

Jacob chuckled shaking his head. "Well, I wouldn't have put it so bluntly nor have left out important details, but that is the gist of it. I'm guessing Morrison just gave you the short and somewhat _inaccurate_ version for the sake of time, and honestly I wouldn't blame him for doing such. Time... is not a luxury I have right now." The old man looked to his hands covered in wires that lead to various machines to monitor him all hours of the day. Dante couldn't help but feel sorry for the man, not just for losing his daughter but for how he is spending his final days. Dante knew he wouldn't die peacefully of old age, but to die from a disease confined to a hospital bed albeit in one's own home was no way to go either.

"Dante," Jacob looked at him with a half hearted smile. "Do you have a family of your own?"

The hunter shook his head. "Never been married and as far as I know no kids either."

"I suppose you wouldn't know the loss of a child then," Dante may not have known the loss of a child of his own, but he knows the loss of family all too well. He bit his tongue at the old man's words and allowed him to continue. "Even if Y/N was not of my blood, she was and still is my daughter."

"Wait, she's adopted? Then how do you know she's a - " Jacob raised his wired hand to silence the question on Dante's tongue. Jacob reached his hand attached to one of the machines around his bed toward the top most photo album, but couldn't quite reach. Taking the hint Dante handed it to him.

Jacob opened it and inside were obviously photographs. The old man smiled looking upon the photos for a moment before handing Dante a photograph of baby wrapped in a white blanket crying in their cot. What caught Dante's attention about the child amidst their crying was their right eye. The skin around it was as white as porcelain with what looked like specs of gold.

Dante had heard of deformities when demon hybrids were born, but to think the same applied to angel hybrids as well.

"I'm not Y/N's birth father, but her adoptive father. What I've done... still haunts me to this day." He looked away, guilt painting his aged features. He turned his gaze back to the window, out to the rain falling down from the clouds above. A life time of regret reflected back at him in the glass of the rainy day outside.

"It matters not to me if you are only here for the two million pay check, nor do I care what your true motivation is for coming here today. Dante, I ask that you hear all I have to say before you decide whether or not to take my request and fulfil it."

~~

To say the search for you was going well would be an out and out _lie._ Two and a half weeks since he took on this job and every lead Dante followed up from Jacob would lead him to a dead end.

He started his search Luxridge, which led him across the bridge to Vinxit in the hopes of another thread that would lead him to you. Lady, who he had enlisted to help out with this job, was getting as frustrated as he was with how everything led to a dead end. The leads were few and rather spread out. From the small town of Luxridge across the bridge of Vinxit, to the three states away in the city of Colchester and on the other side of the country to the city of Perditus. Obviously he started his search in Luxridge, best to start with the closest town not exactly a million miles from the shop but still a good distance away. Luxridge was the last known sighting of the red and white hippy van you apparently drove coming from the direction of Onyxmore. Okay so that lead was a bit old but it was still worth checking out, no stone left unturned right?

Dante's search led him from Luxridge to Vinxit. He searched the residential district of the city, known as 'Domum' while Lady had search the business district known as 'Pecunia' and both of them turned up nothing. Lady looked in police records in case you had gotten a parking ticket or committed some kind of offence worthy of note but alas there was nadda. Zip. Zilch. Dante faired no better in attempting to find out if you had even passed through here as the locals seemed to know nothing and CCTV footage was just too vast to go through for each camera. At first, they went through whoever in Luxridge had an eyepatch on their right eye and who just happened to match the description of what you may look like today from those artist sketches Jacob gave him. All of them had a medical reason for why they wore it, none of them had your white and gold porcelain eye. Checking all of Vinxit would be a nightmare for just the two of them and attracting police attention would be inevitable.

This city was stone with neon slapped on it as far as they had seen, especially the district they both decided to check out now; _the sin district._ Already he could smell demons around but judging by the scent they were minor and harmless. Scouts possibly? More than likely out searching for a weak soul to prey on, or were scoping out the area for a bigger demon. It was strange as he couldn't smell them in any other district but this one, but then again demons would be drawn to the sins committed in this district. It would be more interesting and worthwhile to a devil after all.

It seemed the city quarantined it's sin, vice, and every undesirable person and aspect of Vinxit here. The neon signs and street lights replaced the stars in the sky, their light polluting the blanket of black above in an orange hazy colour. The noise of the district was loud between music, laughter and the sound of the usual traffic. The stench of the cheap perfume, alcohol and desperation was permanent on the boulevard. The whole of - what was this street's name again? - _Babylon_ street was filled with old buildings repurposed into bars, strip clubs and gambling dens.

A long sigh left the hunter's lips as he walked through the sin district with Lady in tow. Both of them were tired and on the verge of calling this job quits and returning to Jacob figuratively empty handed.

"Tired?" Lady asked him with a playful lilt to her voice. Though she looked as tired as she felt.

With guitar case holding Rebellion in hand, Ebony and Ivory safely strapped to his back in their holsters he hastened his pace down Babylon street. "Yeah, let's just get back to the hotel and tell Jacob in the morning she's probably manning the pearly gates right about now." It was late at night and finding nothing was becoming not just disheartening but frustrating. He supposed the reason he kept going was the large pay check at the end, like a rabbit chasing a carrot on a stick.

"Alright. Though, I don't suppose I could tempt you with a drink? Lord knows I could use one." Lady motioned to a bar across the road with a cheesy name but at least it for the street they were on; _Heaven's Envy_. The name was taunting him with how he wasn't able to find you or any clue of whether you were dead or alive. Obviously Heaven's Envy wasn't the only bar on Babylon street, but it was one of the most flashy yet it was the closest one in their proximity.

The outside of it didn't look particularly busy, rather it looked like the most quiet bar on the whole street, but it too made it's fair share of noise. "Alright - but just _one_. We've got about a day of travelling to get back to the shop."

Traffic was light and crossing was easy. Passing by the drunkards and women of the night, the smell of minor demons grew some what stronger. The purple neon sign of Heaven's Envy that held the name of the lounge above the door with a halo over the 'H' just made it all the more cheesier. The line was mercifully short, but one look from the bouncers manning the door told him unnecessary trouble was headed toward him.

There were two bouncers, one tall yet somewhat thin looking and the other kinda short but muscled. "No weapons. Toss 'em or leave." The tall one said, his voice rough as if he were faking being tough. Just as Dante was about to respond Lady put her hand on his shoulder as if saying ' _let me_ '.

"That's no way to treat pals of Blackjack Lorenzo now is it?" Immediately the bouncers eyes went wide with both shock and fear.

"L-Lorenzo?"

"Holy shit dude, Eddie doesn't pay me enough for this."

"Now how about you boys stand aside and we promise we won't tell Lorenzo how you held us up." Whatever plan Lady had worked and Dante could only watch as the bouncers allowed them entrance. Lady winked at them as they made their way inside.

Turns out it wasn't just a bar but a lounge. The smell of tobacco smoke and alcohol assaulted his sense of smell as they made their way through the dimly lit lounge. A melodic voice was heard singing some jazz song but Dante wasn't really listening as both he and Lady sat at the bar. Looking around the smokey room it was filled to the brim with rough looking characters, possibly criminals. No wonder it was so quiet. Most of the people inside were lost in conversation, others nursing their troubles in bottles of green and brown while waitresses wearing half nothing were flirting with the patrons while serving up orders.

" _You're sitting there a-wonderin' what it's all about,"_

Dante sat on the bar stool but had his back turned to the actual bar, his elbows leaning on it. "So what was that at door?" He asked looking to the stage.

" _You ain't got no money they will put you out, why don't you do right?"_

A beautiful woman dressed in a white form fitting dress was singing. Her hair was tied back into a chignon, the chandelier above the small dance floor in front of the stage sparkled her jewellery back at her. The way her dress was cut revealing her legs that went on for miles sparked a few thoughts Dante would explore later on in private and _especially_ those beautiful curves. Though, how she could walk in a pair of heels like the ones she was wearing, or how any woman could, was a mystery Dante would never have an answer to.

Everything about her was normal, except for one glaring thing - her face. A white rose shaped eye patch graced her right eye. Mentally Dante groaned and thought how stupid it would be if the woman on stage was you.

Lady handed him a drink pulling him out of unashamed staring at the performer. "I did a little digging before we got here. It helps to know who's name you can drop to get somewhere - only works if you aren't gonna stay for long."

" _Like some other men do?"_

Lady then tapped Dante's arm motioning to the performer. "Hey I think she's singing about you being broke again!" The pair of them laughed at her stupid joke but he was keeping an eye on the woman on stage as she was staring at him.

" _If you had prepared twenty years ago, you wouldn't be a-wanderin' out from door to door,_ "

She kept her movements subtle as she sang, her expression both inciting and inviting, even if the words she sang were scolding.

Testing if she was indeed looking at him, he smiled and winked at her and for a split second she broke character. Seems she was singing just for him, how nice. After some light observation of the lounge it was clear no one was listening so she was singing only to an audience of one. It was a shame really, this singer had a nice voice - not the kind of music Dante would listen to personally, but he could appreciate a good performance.

" _Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_ "

Dante took a sip from his whiskey and let it burn his throat while the woman kept her eye on him. She somewhat matched the artist's sketch of what you may look like today. Honestly, if the woman he was looking for was performing on stage right now looking at him he'd throw in the towel. Weeks of searching and following up Jacob's leads with little to show for it only for you to be possibly right under his nose.

" _Get outta here, get me some money too,_ "

Out of all the scents in the lounge Dante couldn't get one coming from the stage. He expected some kind of perfume or something along that line but got nothing. Everyone and everything had a scent, a smell that was uniquely their own. Surely angels had scents, or did they manipulate that like they did humans centuries ago?

Speaking of scents a horrible one came charging toward himself and Lady. A fat guy with a balding head, a grey moustache and a sweat stained shirt rushed toward them. If Dante had to guess, he'd say it's probably the owner of the place as they had come out of what looked like an office.

The man was panicked and out of breath as he spoke, his voice gruff and raspy. "Who the hell do you think you are coming in here? My boys say you're with Lorenzo - that true?"

"Perhaps." Lady responded to him but he didn't want to talk to her it seemed.

"Quiet, _broad_ , the men are talking."

"Then why are you still flapping your lips, _little piggy_?"

Dante allowed Lady to handle the disgusting smelling man, refocusing his gaze to the woman on stage. He could tell she was a little nervous under that sultry façade. Actually, she was nervous since he walked in.

" _Why don't you do right? Like some other men..._ " For a moment the room went silent and Dante almost thought he was seeing things. From the woman's right eye, although very dim, he could see a gold sparkle for a second when she moved her head toward the light.

She made direct eye contact with him, smiling at him before letting loose the final note of her song. " _Do...?_ "

Dante turned away from the woman on stage and back to Lady, unable to hold back a chuckle. Lady was pissed at him of course, she was looking for back up against the possible owner's verbal assaults.

The woman blew a kiss to the crowd before the curtain fell on her act, red velvet obscuring the stage from the rest of the lounge's view.

Dante may have just found what he was looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, by the by, the reason why demons have the ash and sulfur smell is because in the book of Revelation and book of Enoch, they both say there is a river of burning sulfur in hell. It makes sense that demons have them here, no?


	4. A Nightmare Realised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Given how persistent you are it's no wonder. Take your pets and leave me alone demon." You got to the point and threatened him with a low, cold voice. This was a fight you wouldn't be able to avoid and it would end in one of two ways; you walking away or with you dying. Either way you would remain free.
> 
> The demon shook his head slightly in a no, his tired eyes looking at your weapon before returning his gaze to your face. This demon certainly was committed to his role, he almost even seemed annoyed that you were ready to fight. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I've spent too long looking for you lil' missy." He kept his voice level, but there was something else you couldn't quite understand in the way he spoke. "Relax, I only want to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for disappearing, the last few months have just been a roller coaster and I haven't been able to keep up. In early march my mother and I got ill with the virus and my dad didn't bother helping us while we were sick. I had to take care of my mother while I was sick myself. Through April and may I've been having breakdowns and trying to get cash going in as I lost my job and just... 2020 is the worst I swear.
> 
> Writing this story, even just thinking up and jotting down plot points has kept me sane during all of this. Sorry to ramble but I did just disappear. I have reworked this entire story so it makes a lot of more sense now.
> 
> Also please expect very slow updates, they'll come out when they're ready.
> 
> Warnings for: Gore, canon typical violence against demons, Spiders, PTSD induced panic attack/hallucination and abduction. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! Also thank you to everyone who read, bookmarked, commented and left a kudos! I was very surprised to see how much attention this little thing garnered!

_"Until then, you shall have your freedom. I will claim you when I deem fit. I will mould you into a beautiful pet fit for my lord. Your time to be free is now, but know that from this moment forth, it is ticking down."_ The words of Zepar repeated in your mind like a haunting mantra, an echo of a promise made long ago. Just as he had promised your time was ticking down from that moment forth, and now the hourglass ran out.

_"My master will enjoy shall enjoy tearing your spirit from you."_

Opening the door of the backstage exit, the cold night air hit you like a ton of bricks along with the noise of the district. The lights, sounds and scents were assaults on all of your senses. If you hadn't have gotten used sensory overload like this back in Arkshire many years ago you'd be walking both blind and deaf. You kept your grip on your handbag tight, it's contents ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice. Safety was a mere zip away if either human or demon tried anything which seemed likely given the district you worked in. If the pistol wouldn't work however, you had other means of protection.

You took a deep breath in, the smell of gasoline and sin gracing the air with a little bit of desperation all tied up in a neat little bow.

Your heels clicked on the concrete underneath you as you left the alleyway, still dressed and made up to the nines from your performance. The musicians loitering out back gave you odd looks as you passed them, some asking one another what was going on. You didn't even allow yourself the time to change into civilian clothes or anything, you just grabbed your bag from your dressing room and ran.

Once again you knew you had to up and leave a trail of dust behind you like you always did at the first sign of a _major_ demon. You weren't blind and knew you were hiding in among minor demon scouts. They were blind as bats thanks to the rosewater, however. You knew that no matter where you went there would always be some kind of tiny demon lurking. It was the same for every town, city or village everywhere. Some big bad demon was always scouting for something. Whether it be a succubus looking for it's next meal, or a demon looking for a weak willed human to manipulate.

With the rosewater on your skin hiding your scent, they were all blind and you were safe. Can't report what one doesn't know is there, right? Clearly you had slipped up and now one of those many minor demon's bosses came out to have a look, possibly in the name of Zepar. Well, you hoped that those two got an eyeful tonight cause it'll be the last either of them would ever see of you.

Making yourself look as small as possible you walked out onto the street. _Babylon_ was alive, it's people were it's blood and their sin was it's beating heart. The sin district was a hive of activity as crowds of people going about their business. Each person either on the prowl for mischief or on the lookout for dirty opportunity, all of them absorbed in their own frivolous lives oblivious to the horrors of the dark that invaded the world that surrounded them.

You walked out before your second song and luckily the stage manager didn't notice you leave. The night was over for you but for others it had just begun. You could see the usual drunkards, whores and mobsters walking around. You saw as men paid women, or vice versa for company for the night and walk away linked arm in arm or drive away in some fancy car.

You began pushing past the crowd, feeling eyes on you everywhere and they weren't human. The crowd was unforgiving and was like a stone wall that refused to move, but you parted the sea of sin and just kept walking. Some had tried to stop you, thinking you were a woman of the night, and with the way you were dressed you could understand their confusion. Others simply stayed out of your way, possibly thinking you've committed a murder with the determined look on your face.

Your van was parked in the Domum district away from the sin district. You couldn't trust the people here, or anybody anywhere to leave your van alone. As you walked down the street, you could feel eyes on you, watching your every move. Cautiously you looked around, only to find the usual scumbags of this particular district going about their business.

You hunched your shoulders up and walked at a brisk pace, weaving in and out of the crowd.

After a while of going in odd directions, taking back alleys and lots of circling around you felt the eyes that were on you disappear all of a sudden. You didn't know what was more frightening, someone watching you or someone _not_ watching you. At all hours of the day you could feel someone or some _thing_ looking at you. Privacy is a luxury, not a right. It was odd to feel truly alone.

The sooner you were in your van and on the road out of Vinxit, the better.

Before tonight's show you left your van in an alleyway between the sin district and Domum district covered and securely hidden away. Your home, your sanctuary. Nothing was going to stop you from returning to it. The lights and noise from the sin district melted into nothing as you walked onto the border of the Domum district. This district was namely houses, but thanks to the sin district being so close the ones on the border of it were run down and in disarray and generally abandoned. With very little street light to guide your way, you made it into the alleyway between one of these houses.

And there it was, covered in a grey tarp to hide it from the rest of the world. Tearing away it's coverings almost felt like uncovering a long lost treasure. You smiled at the Volkswagen type 2 camper van that's been your home for many years. Through thick and thin it's always been there. You laughed to yourself that really the only one that knew who you really were was the van you used to escape all manner of horrors.

You wondered if it was all worth it when you ran away or left a place after awhile, but you knew it was to maintain the one thing you valued most; freedom.

Being free to make your own choices, to live by your own rules was a priceless thing to you. No... Saying it was priceless was foolish, as the price for it was constant fear and anxiety at when the next demon attack would occur, or some rumour spread about your eye and someone just _had_ to see if it was true. Nothing in this world is free, a lesson you learnt very quickly. Even freedom came at a price and every time you were willing to pay it, whether it be getting your hands soaked in human blood or by sending another demon back to the underworld from whence it came.

To you freedom was priceless, yet to the world it had a price and it was high.

Just as you opened your bag to search for the keys to your van, the smell of ash and sulfur suddenly hit you like a punch to the face. The strong smell made you nauseous. It wasn't there when you came into the Domum district and certainly not in the alleyway you parked your van.

Hastily you sifted through the contents of your bag. Purse, keys, false documents and your steel piece of salvation - a handgun. It wouldn't stop a high ranking demon but would incapacitate them long enough to run, and small fry would be history. Humans would run from you at the sight of the silver pistol even if it wasn't pointed at them. A man made deterrent that both saved and took lives away... how fitting for humanity to have created such a thing.

If you weren't in this dress you would have knives and ammo in every pocket. Stupid Eddie and his stupid rule of strictly no weapons. Also fuck whoever designed this stupid dress and a thousand years of bad luck on the person who invented bras and bustiers! Both of those things should be considered torture devices given how tight they were and the fact you may have to fight off a demon in one just made it all the worse.

Figuratively, you were caught off guard and it was naïve to think you really were alone. You didn't have to take two guesses as to what demon followed you.

"Y'know, I heard of crazed fans but I think you certainly take the cake." Your voice echoed throughout the alleyway, you didn't even turn to face the demon.

The alleyway only had one exit which also served as it's entrance. The brick walls around you spelled felt like they were closing in as you felt the presence of a demon come toward you, their footsteps quiet. Never before did a major demon manage to corner you like this, but no one puts you in a corner without you putting up a fight. Turning around you pointed your gun at the alleyway's entrance only to find it empty. Your lungs took in a deep breath of the cold night air while your heart began to beat slightly faster.

You weighed your options. Take your chances of getting in your van and driving off, or taking this threat head on.

Steeling yourself, you placed both of your hands on the gun ready to aim. The smell of ash and sulfur surrounded you making breathing difficult. Every one of your senses was alight with fight or flight but you kept your thoughts clear and calm. Shadows fell onto the walls around you, moving slowly and quietly. You wondered if it would be possible to incapacitate the demon that followed you... or rather _demons_. Of course the man in red had brought his pets. He should just show himself so you could shoot him in his _demon face_ -

" _Angeeeeelll..._ " A sickly raspy voice reverberated through your head. " _Nowhere left to run to, hmmm?_ " The voice sounded female with demonic sub-harmonics, as if two people were speaking at once. It was heard from every direction so you couldn't tell exactly which direction the demon's voice was coming from.

"Your kind always have so much ego that you believe you've won before the first shot has been fired." Truth be told you were actually kind of worried with the close quarters you were to fight in, the limited weapon in your hand and how this dress made moving quickly impossible. All of this didn't leave many options without going to your _last resort_. Taking a chance and running out of the only entrance of the alleyway may be the only way to go.

" _And you angelsss always believed yourssselves to be ssso sssuperior,_ " The mouth of the shadow on the wall closest to your van didn't move as the voice spoke. " _You're all cowardsss, hiding away in heaven._ "

"At least we can pronounce our 's's right." You said before your brain had a chance to check in on what your tongue was doing, and the demon screeched in offence. A spider's leg stomped down right in front of you. Jumping away from it your back hit the side of your van before you pointed your weapon upwards toward the source.

Up above on top of one of the houses was a demon with the torso of a human woman but the bottom of a spider. The human looking part of it was covered in scales, it's skin sparkling black and purple. The mouth had the chelicera of a spider bursting out from it's human lips and many sets of eyes graced it's ugly face. The demon was bald, save for a ponytail made of what looked like thick black web atop it's head. It towered over the building and you could see cracks form from underneath it's weight, the windows breaking under the pressure.

" _How dare you mock me, puny angel!_ " The demon landed another one of it's long legs onto the concrete in front of you shaking the ground. " _I'd rip your head off and feasst on your entrailsss if I didn't need you alive!_ "

There were times to run and there were times to fight. Right now? You don't know how you did it but you got your keys, unlocked the van door, got inside and started up the vehicle all in record time. You tossed your handbag onto the passenger seat, the gun and other items spilling out in disarray. The engine roared to life before you wasted no time hitting the accelerator and turning toward the exit of the alley. You drove through the spider's legs rather than under them and hilariously caused it to fall over into the small alley behind you.

The tires screeched as rubber burnt on the road turning sharply into the shady part of the Domum district. It was stupid to go into the residential area, but beyond it was the city limits that lead to the highway going to Libertas. It would lead you right out of Vinxit and hopefully you'd shake the big arachnid off that was now screeching bloody murder.

The spider demon howled as you drove deep into the run down neighbourhood, the further you went the more populated it became. Lights in houses were turning on and bewildered voices came forth.

Sighing you told yourself this; Just drive out of the neighbourhood and out of Vinxit. You've gotten out of worse situations than this.

The ground quaked with each of the spider's steps onto the concrete as it followed you. You evaded each of the strikes it rained down on you, swerving and turning to avoid it's appendages. " _Foolisssh angel! You cannot esscape me! I will have you - I will rule the underworld asss Queeeen, not my mistress! Hahaha!"_ It's laughter echoed throughout the night and only served to make you hit the gas harder. Looking at the dashboard you were running on a half tank. If you played your cards right, getting to the highway would be easy and hopefully the tank would last long enough for you to get to Libertas or a gas station. That's the plan if you could shake off the tarantula.

The road you were driving on was smooth, but having to drive onto footpaths and knocking people's mailboxes down to avoid the stomping of the arachnid chasing you made it anything but. People began coming out of their homes to gawk at what was going on. Some even began taking photographs on old disposable cameras. _Idiots_! Though you supposed what harm would it be on the world if a few of them got wiped out as casualties? All they had to do was stay in their homes. They made their choice to be caught in the _crossfire_.

Things only just got worse as in the sky countless flying imps, hellbats and lizard looking demons came rushing toward your van. All of them cackling and crying out gleefully " _We found the angel! Kekeke_!" How did they all find you? Where did you slip up? You ridded yourself of your scent, left not even so much as _breadcrumbs_ in your wake and still they find you? Many a time you've been caught in demon attacks but never on this kind of scale. Perhaps all the others were just half hearted attempts at getting you and now they're finally getting on with it?

Were they just _playing games_ with you all these years?

There was no way you could turn around, not after coming this far and the main road leading out of Vinxit was just in sight. The bright lights of the city beckoning you to enter and then leave as quickly as you arrived. With your van roaring like a beast you drove straight toward the lights. You could hear metal scraping outside and other drivers beeped their horns at you, others ran their cars off the road and some just stopped completely blocking the road.

" _You can't run from us!_ " The flying demons bashed themselves against your van trying to topple it over. You reached for your weapon - but not the one on the passenger seat. No, you reached for the submachine gun underneath the driver's seat and fired a few rounds. The gunfire made both anyone stupid enough to be still standing in the road to run away and give the demons hitting against your van pause.

The arachnid kept trying to stomp your van, it even destroyed buildings that just so happened to be in it's way. The brick work crumbling as the spider rushed toward you. Blindly you rolled down the window halfway and fired at it. It howled in both pain and surprise as you had shot one of it's legs slowing it down. The scraping became more insistent before a small, clawed hand punched it's way through the roof. It dangled in front of you trying to grab at anything. Stupidly you shot it and blood sprayed onto the windscreen inside, the hand it's self fell onto the floor twitching, grasping at nothing. An unholy cry of pain above you made you clench your teeth.

Seizing their chance with you now blind to the road, the flying demons pushed and knocked over your van, laughing all the while it went onto it's side and scraped against the tarmac. With the way they toppled your home over you landed on the driver's side window, the glass breaking and digging into the flesh of your arm and the burning sensation of the concrete hurt like a _bitch_. The momentum finally ended bringing it all to a stop in the middle of the road. On instinct you idiotically turned onto your back, the pieces of glass cracking underneath your weight. Peering in through the passenger side window an ugly red inside out looking imp with sharp teeth and pointed eyes and ears that looked in at you. It grinned sickly at you before you shot it's head off. It's teeny tiny brain splattering into thousands of pieces covering the now broken window, it's blood trickling inside in large drops through the bullet hole.

One drop landed on your face, the other onto the handgun that fell on top of you and quickly you gripped it. You could hear countless sets of claws digging into the metal of your van, trying to slice the metal to open it like a can. Some punching through it, others _chewing_ through. This was possibly the worst your van had even been subjected to and it's been through near hell and back. You fired at the demonic hands that tore away at your van, some bullets hitting their mark and others missing completely. The handgun was useless as the other clips of ammo were in your bag and that was lost in the crash among the mass of your belongings. All you had left was your submachine gun and your _last resort_.

" _Oh_ _angel_ ," The spider slowed her approach as it cooed. " _Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. You ssshould have sstayed in heaven like the ressst of your cowardly sspeciesss!_ " The demon lifted it's appendage and turned the van over sending it flying for a moment. It hit the road with a crash and you landed badly on the roof on your shoulder. You were sure it was shattered from the impact and the glass stuck in your arm wasn't helping at all. A few of the smaller demons must have been crushed as crimson oozed in through the holes of the roof, staining your white dress and gloves a dark crimson colour.

" _There isss only one fate that awaitsss every angel once they leave heaven. Foolisssh child. Did your maker never teach you the dangersss of falling from your hideouss, dissgussssting grace?_ "

You writhed in pain for a moment clutching your broken shoulder. Yes, your body healed it's self but it wasn't as fast a demons, but at least it was much quicker than a humans. Sadly here it was just too slow even with the adrenaline pumping through your veins at the speed of a cheetah's sprint. You sucked in a deep breath through your teeth as you picked the larger shards of glass out to give your body a chance to heal over the lacerations. You weren't going to show these bastards that you were in pain, nor were you going to show them any emotion beyond your determination and defiance.

" _What'sss the matter angel? Nothing to sssay now?_ " The taunt of the arachnid fell on deaf ears as you stood up and once more gripped your submachine gun. You kicked your heels off to some corner of the van and stood up. The back of your van was a no go, most of your belongings blocking the locked back door, so you went to the front and unceremoniously kicked the driver's side door right open. You would have been more careful but that giant spider has now pissed you off. All around as far as the eye could see were abandoned cars littered across the road, neon signs flickering, barely hanging on to the buildings they were attached to and the buildings themselves faired no better. The spider and it's pet demons seemingly were ready to destroy the whole of Vinxit just to get at you.

"I defy my fate with every second that passes," You stepped out, shooting down the hellbats that tried to dive bomb you. "Every second that ticks by is another I've stolen from you ugly _freaks._ I never fell from _grace_ " You jumped up on top of your van in one swift movement. Your stocking clad feet balanced on the underside, oil seeping into the thin fabric staining your skin an inky black colour. "Because I never _started_ there." The spider hissed at you and you simply smirked at it. "Heaven is not my home, but I know hell _creepy crawly,_ " Dropping your gun you slipped off the white, demon blood soaked gloves and clapped your hands together. You only used this in dire situations or as a last resort, but you wanted this all to be over as quickly as possible.

Time was ticking until more of it's friends arrived, after all. Demons generally never hunt alone.

Slowly, you parted your hands and in between them was a soft yellow light that materialised a shining glaive. It's pole was of pure gold with swirls of silver designs very much like your right eye. The blade it's self was also gold but with a silver edge that branched out into the gold in silver branches and swirls. The small red jewels buried in it's silver sparkled in the light of the city as you gripped it in both of your hands.

"And I know that neither you or any other demon is bringing me there. I've killed _every single one_ of you that's tried, or I've slipped through your fingers, be they _sharp_ or _blunt_." _Lahash_ was the name you gave this blade. The name of the fallen angel who interferes with divine will. You interfered with not _divine_ but _infernal_ will.

Zepar will never have you. No demon will ever have you. You are _free._

"So what makes you think you'll be any different you overgrown _bug?_ "

" _Look around you, sssilly girl! You're both outnumbered and injured, how could you possibly -_ " Lahash sang as you gave one decisive swing around you, slicing a number of the small flying demons fluttering around awaiting their moment to strike. They shrieked with panic as they fell from the sky, hitting the ground in bloody piles before fading into dust. The spider looked somewhat taken back as one of them landed on it's large back. " _I sssee. It sseems you angelss finally grew a back bone, or isss that just your human blood ssspeaking?_ "

Dropping into a defensive stance you glared at the arachnid with your single eye. You never denied that you were partially human but you weren't exactly proud of it. It was humans that damned you to this fate you defied in your every waking moment, and it was a human that played a part in bringing you into this world because they couldn't keep their pants on. They were a highly contradictory species as with one hand they offer assistance, and in the other they offer death or they sought to gain from another's misery. They hated one another just as much as angels and demons hated each other, which left not just how you came into being a mystery, but how big the human population had become.

" _Oh? Did I ssstrike a nerve, half blood?_ " It crossed it's human arms and smugly smiled the best it could with it's spidery mouth. " _I will never undersstand how... humanss ssseduced the likess of not jusssst demon, but angel as well. You're too fragile, too wishy-washy and **far** too unpredictable._" It shook it's head and sighed. " _Why we were betrayed for... **mortalsss** to live, I will never underssstand_ _either_." The disdain of merely even mentioning humanity twisted the arachnid's face up in disgust. " _But what I do undersstand is that t_ _he blood of an angel flows in your veins. Half breed or not, I need you to sssecure my throne! My missstress wants you, but I will have you instead!_ "

It lunged one of it's legs at you and you jumped onto it, slicing it open as you ran along it to get to it's human looking part. The leg fell to the ground in large chunks hitting the road with loud thuds. You got halfway before it tried to stab you with it's other leg. In response you simply jumped onto it and rendered the same treatment to it. The arachnid cried out in horror at the loss of two of it's limbs. It's ponytail grew long and the end of it was pointed sharp like a blade. It tried to go for your neck with the impromptu weapon but instead caught your eyepatch and tore it away from your face.

The false white petals fell all around you and you weren't sure about it, but you could hear a blood curdling scream. Was it real or only in your mind as your eye was revealed to the world against your will? Without your eyepatch on you felt naked and exposed in a way that felt as if all of you were bared to the world. You could even be wearing the most modest outfit - hell, even a _nuns_ outfit - but without your eyepatch you may as well have been in your birthday suit. You've worn it day in, day out, only taking it off to sleep that it's become a part of you.

You deflected it's ponytail and the arachnid screeched as it was buried into the side of a building. It shook it's leg violently forcing you back down onto the ground.

" _Why must you resist?!_ " It howled falling forward on it's now two front stumpy legs, the building it's ponytail was stuck in came down as it forcefully removed it. Shame and embarrassment burned through you with your deformity on show but you couldn't hide it. You needed both hands for this battle and the added depth perception was a blessing, but was the price worth it?

The spider used it's remaining six legs and pulled it's self up glaring at you with it's black eyes that promised a slow and painful death. " _The only fate that awaitsss an angel is death or servitude! Defy it all you want little girl, you will never essscape it!"_

Swinging your blade and dropping into an offensive stance you let out a breath of concentration. The pain in your shoulder was fading, the remaining glass falling out as the wounds slowly but surely sealed themselves shut, though you could feel some stubborn pieces remaining. "Twenty years and counting." Leaping into the air you raised Lahash above your head. It left you open which was what you wanted the arachnid to think. It sent forth it's ponytail to try and strike you down mid-air. What it didn't expect was for you to grab it and use it to swing around onto it's back.

The spider bucked like a wild bronco shaking it's head and jumping to shake you off. " _Unhand me, vermin!"_ You hung onto it's hair, pulling it every now and again. It ran deeper into the city bashing into buildings bringing them down. " _Angel! Angellll!"_ You pulled left it went left, you pulled right it went right. The destruction it was causing ensured that your face would either be on the nightly news or the paper the next morning. With Lahash in your other hand, you wasted no time in stabbing the human part of the spider through the chest. Blood sprayed onto your dress, your hair, your skin - _everywhere._ The smell of it was disgusting and it became worse when you twisted Lahash to tear apart it's insides.

It's screech was louder than the shocked screams of the pedestrians below, it's eyes going every direction in sheer horror that it's death came at the hands of an angel. It fell forward onto it's now stumpy front legs. You clung to it's hair as you were thrown to it's front. Using the momentum you kicked it in the face, though it may not have been the best of ideas while you were practically bare foot. " _How dare you!!_ " With your feet still on it's face you stabbed whatever you could get at - it's chest, it's arms etc. Lahash sliced at it's scaly flesh, diamonds of black and purple falling like rain as Lahash tore apart the spider.

" _I will be Queeeeeen!_ " The cries of the spider as you attacked it echoed throughout the empty scene. " _I am Queen of the underwooooorld!_ " You began to free fall as the spider faded into large piles of dust. The air brushed past you, cradling you in a cold blanket of wind, surrounded by specs of a fallen demon and the remnants of scales not yet fallen. It all fell like snow around you, drifting lazily as gravity pulled you toward the hard unforgiving ground at a fast rate. In this descent it seemed as if time had stopped all together for a fraction of a second.

It felt as though you were floating freely in the air.

All things must come to an end, however. Thinking quickly you buried Lahash into the side of the closest ruined building and ended your free fall. Hanging a story above the ground you took a risk and jumped down onto the pavement below.

The shock of the landing went right up your body and made the pain in your shoulder come back to life. You groaned with the throb of pain for a second before raising your hand up to Lahash. Like a loyal dog it returned to you. With a sigh you stood up and rolled your shoulders trying to alleviate the pain, shards of glass falling out in the process. The wound closed but it's the inside that still needed to heal. Possibly within the next few minutes it'll be like the crash never happened. You'd heal just fine but the dress wouldn't with how bloody and torn it was.

Just as you thought it was all over, you had forgotten one teeny tiny thing. The fluttering of wings and high pitched sickly demonic laughter reminded you that the spider wasn't the only threat.

Sirens blared in the distance, and slowly but surely the rest of the city's people came out to investigate the damage and to gawk at the aftermath. You turned on your heel, covered your eye with your hand and looked upon the trail of destruction the spider left in it's wake.

Above the sounds of the city going into panic, you heard the sound of applause. Turning to it's source, a hellbat that was charging at you was shot at. It screeched before falling to the ground with a thud.

"Bravo! Bravo! That's twice tonight you've performed and had me on the edge of my seat!" Turning toward the source of the voice you immediately dropped into a defensive stance at the sight of it's owner.

The man in red casually stood atop one of the buildings over looking the scene of the fight. He held a still smoking black pistol in his hand and wore a smirk on his face, wind blowing his red coat behind him almost like a villain's cape. He had an odd sword with skulls on it's hilt strapped to his back and you could feel some kind of power emanating from it. How did you not sense his presence approaching? Scent was out of the question given how out of whack yours was with the fight, the spider's demonic smell still lingering the in the air and that's not mentioning the amount of demonic presences you could feel all around.

A staring contest began for a moment, the sound of the city going into panic filling the air. You were still on somewhat of a combat high after taking out that spider and felt somewhat confident you could fight this man. You knew you weren't invincible but you'd rather go down fighting than go down to hell.

You'd die before you were dragged there anyway.

"No need to be like that, babe." As if trying to show you he wasn't a threat he holstered his weapon. "No need for the serious face either. It doesn't suit a pretty thing like you at all." Casually he jumped down from his perch two or three metres in front of you. You responded to his words with nothing but silence. He had heard you sing, that was enough.

You looked at him wondering which part of his face would turn demonic first when he finally drops his human facade to attack you. Out of every demon you've seen try to masquerade as a human, he pulled it off near flawlessly. Even the little details you could see from his blue eyes, slight stubble, chiselled jaw line and straight nose. Even right down to small marks on his skin to the tired bags under his eyes would fool any human.

"Sheesh, and I thought I had bad luck." The man said before you swung Lahash at him to get him further away from you after taking a step toward you. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, babe! That's not how you should treat a fan."

You glared at him for a moment, unable to decipher what it is he wants. If he were working with those flying demons then he wouldn't have had to shoot one. Perhaps he was just a cruel master? This must have been a trick of some kind - it had to be.

Hushed murmurs and worried whispers began to surround you and fill your ears. A crowd was gathering around to watch what the scene unfolding and with so many eyes on you, and your own right eye exposed only hidden by your hand, you felt unbelievably embarrassed and ashamed. You were used to eyes being on you but not like this.

"Careful, glare any harder and that face of yours might get stuck that way." The red demon quipped before you took sudden steps to run into a nearby empty alleyway to escape the curious stares all around. You dashed from one alleyway, to another and another. Anything to escape the crowd that couldn't mind it's own damn _business._

The man followed you into the third or fourth alley before he cut you off by landing in front of you. You pointed Lahash directly at his face, the tip of the golden blade shone ominously in the dim light of the alleyway.

"I've had women _shoot_ me when the see me, throw _motorcycles_ at me - but I've never had one run from me at first sight." The demon took steps back before he sighed. In an instant he produced two pistols. One silver, one black with a name engraved on them along with piano keys. The guns looked as if they had seen equal amount of heavy use with the number of scratches and wear and tear on both of them. "Beginning to think I got rotten luck with women."

"Given how persistent you are it's no wonder. Take your pets and leave me alone _demon_." You got to the point and threatened him with a low, cold voice. This was a fight you wouldn't be able to avoid and it would end in one of two ways; you walking away or with you dying. Either way you would remain _free._

The demon shook his head slightly in a no, his tired eyes looking at your weapon before returning his gaze to your face. This demon certainly was committed to his role, he almost even seemed annoyed that you were ready to fight. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I've spent too long looking for you lil' missy." He kept his voice level, but there was something else you couldn't quite understand in the way he spoke. "Relax, I only want to talk."

"Do you think I'm an idiot? You say you want to talk yet you come fully armed and reeking of the underworld to a human lounge." You were somewhat taken aback that he didn't even try to deny what you called him. Perhaps with the city in panic he thinks he doesn't need to hide?

"Oh, so you _were_ made nervous by me. Here I thought you just had a bit of sudden stage fright when I walked in."

"If you have a point get to it before I do to you what I did to that _spider_."

The red demon chuckled as if amused by your threat. "I have a point. Actually, I have several, Y/N." Hearing your real name made a cold shiver make it's way down your spine. You abandoned your name everywhere you went, opting for a new one each time you entered a new city, town or village. It's the only remnant of the past that hunted you constantly. "I'm not your enemy if that's what you're thinking. Oh, and just for the record? Those aren't my pets - I've got better taste than that. I'd probably keep a Cerberus if they didn't grow fifty stories tall."

"Do you expect me to believe you?" You responded keeping your voice steady.

"You never saw a fully grown Cerberus before?"

"No!" You shouted letting your frustration show for a brief second. "Do you expect me to believe you, a _demon_ , to not be my _enemy_?"

"Not off the bat - _no pun intended_ \- but if you'll listen to me we'll both make it out of here without pissing off any other major demons."

"Why should I trust you?" Depending on his answer you'd either run or fight.

"Because I'm not on their side, I'm on yours. Your father sent me and - " Without letting another word leave his mouth you charged at him and swung Lahash down. He parried the blow but not before knocking him back three steps.

There was no way your father could have summoned a demon to get you. You wouldn't believe that because he was not that kind of person, no matter how desperate he was he would never turn to the dark, _never_.

You took another swing at the demon, using both of your hands you lifted Lahash above your head and were going to cleave the devil in half before in the breath of a second he holstered his fire arms and used the odd blade on his back to block the blow. With your blades crossed you looked at one another. He looked calm, while your face was red with anger.

"I don't know _who_ you are, nor do I care _who_ sent you. I know you're a demon and that's enough for me to not to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth." Venom dripped from every one of your words as steel scrapped again steel.

"That's a little species-ist ain't it? What happened to angels having endless love and tolerance for all living beings?"

"That doesn't extend to underworld _filth_."

"Good," The red devil said forcing you back before swinging his sword. The blade sliced a part of your right arm and it burned. You had been stabbed and sliced before but it never burnt as badly nor stung as harshly as this. That blade of his clearly wasn't from the human world. "'Cause I'm not from there at all, just like you aren't from grace either, babe."

Blood oozed from the wound in time with your rapid heartbeat, falling to the ground in droplets. Your mind must have been playing tricks on you, but was the skin around it turning... black?

Ignoring his blatant lie you returned the wound in kind, Lahash tearing through his red leather coat slicing his arm opposite yours. The blood that poured from the laceration you gave him was indistinguishable from the dark crimson of his coat. The smug look he had on his face contorted to pain and he took a large step back from you clutching his arm.

"Shit," He said through his teeth. "The old man wasn't bullshitting. Didn't think the opposite counted for me though." The devil lifted his hand away from the tear and you could see the skin around it turn marble white like your eye. He looked at it as if his hard stare alone would stop it.

You placed your hand on your own wound and instead of feeling skin, you felt rough stone. The sword this devil is using must be what's known as a 'devil arm'. You heard of them before but this is the first time you've ever had to face someone wielding one. In your experience you've only faced demons, major or minor, that used claws or sharp pointed teeth - or in the spider's case their legs - as their weapons of choice.

Your blood dripped from his blade but once the droplets hit the ground it was as if snow had fallen instead, melting into the pavement before vaporising. Never before did you face an opponent that could turn your skin black as night nor make you feel like your flesh was about to be melted off your bone. The devil must be feeling the same way from the pained, yet determined expression on his face. Were devil arms made to hunt angels? Then what of Lahash? Were divine weapons created to match the inferno's arsenal?

"Y/N I've no interest in killing you."

"Of course you don't," You responded placing pressure on your arm, a steady flow of blood covering your hand seeping through your fingers. "You need me alive to take me to my 'father' or to take over the underworld."

"Sorry babe, only one of those things is correct. I've got no interest in ruling or being ruled."

Your wound burned but you raised Lahash in spite of both the pain and the man before you. The demon changed the hand he held his sword in. No words left your lips as you once again pointed your glaive at him. He sighed, tightening his grip on the devil arm's hilt, the skulls on it seemingly screaming in agony. "Fine. I'm gonna feel bad about this, but I won't be able to sleep at night unless I get you to your old man."

Faster than either of you could blink, blows began to be traded between you. One strike. Two strikes. The clashing of demonic and angelic steel echoed throughout the empty alleyway, sparks flying every which direction. The devil in red met you blow for blow, his defence seemingly unbreakable. There was no way you could over power him if the strength of his strikes were anything to go by. This is an opponent you'd need a plan or a strategy for, you couldn't wing it like with the spider and emerge victorious.

While he had strength however, you had speed. You managed to get a few slashes that he barely managed to escape in time. His coat now had some lovely slashes and cuts courtesy of Lahash, though how quickly you had to move your hair came undone from it's chignon and obscured your view. With your speed you even managed to land a little slice on his cheek, yet in return he managed to land a blow onto your leg, cutting your thigh and tearing a hole in the stocking on the side your dress had the slit, the devil arm's blade leaving a deep cut dying your skin onyx in it's wake. It was a mistake and perhaps you had gotten just a little bit too cocky. If you hadn't have moved the blow would have been more devastating.

You returned the cut with one of your own stabbing the devil in his shoulder, the opposite of the one you had broken earlier. He didn't so much as flinch and took it in his stride. Pulling Lahash back you gained some distance from him to which he gave closed what little ground you gained.

Blades crossed and you both came face to face as sparks flew off of your weapons. Despite the wound you inflicted on him and the words he spoke, you could swear he was enjoying this. Demons were always sadistic, disgusting creatures. "What's the matter?" You taunted him. "Is the big bad demon afraid of getting bested by the teeny tiny angel?" A huff of amusement left him at your words.

"You're not half bad Y/N, I'll give you that," The devil offered praise that fell on deaf ears. "But as much as I'd like to see what else you can do babe, I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this performance short."

Silence was your response as you took up your attack stance, lowering your knees ready to pounce like a tiger. Lahash felt light in your hands as you calmed your breathing. Taking steady breaths through your nose you knew that a swift stab through the chest or head would have this demon dead, but if such strikes were not possible the best thing you could do is attack his legs. It would give you at least a head start to flee.

The demon smirked tightening the grip on his sword. He took on a stance similar to your own - was he _mocking you?_ You huffed at the insult and he merely chuckled in response.

For a few moments everything was still, neither of you moved. It was if both of you were waiting for the other to make the first move. Cautiously you began to count the seconds.

One. A deep breath was inhaled through the demon's nose.

Two. You moved your foot slightly, ready to strike.

Three.

Faster than lightning both of you charged at one another, blades going before both of you. Just as contact was about to be made something came between you both. Shards of something bright went flying as both of you were knocked back by the impact of the leg of yet another spider.

You were thrown quite a ways yet Lahash never left your grip. The hissing of the tall arachnid above shook the ground as you raised your head to meet it. It's many eyes looked down at you, the broken flickering neon lights of Vinxit reflected in it's black gaze.

" _Angel..._ " It whispered. Using Lahash as leverage you stood up and moved your hair from your eyes, yet you couldn't believe what you saw. The buildings on either side of the alley were becoming _infested_ with these spiders, all in different colours. Some male, some female. The one who interrupted your fight against the red devil was male, it seemed.

It seems you weren't going to be catching any kind of break tonight.

" _It's time! Hehe!_ " A green female spider giggled from the left rooftop. " _Our missstressss will be so pleasssed!_ "

" _We'll wrap you up in the finessst sssilk, just like ssshe ordered,_ " The cyan male spider who halted the fight added. " _Then deliver you directly to Zepar -_ "

You let out a scream and threw Lahash at the blue spider, your heart beating a beats per minute. The blade pierced the arachnid's chest, the insect howling in disbelief as it's blood sprayed all over the ground.

Suddenly clouds filled the polluted night sky. From it, fell hellbats and the imps and those lizard like demons. They dropped to the ground dead like flies. They screeched but you couldn't tell what was killing them as they twitched on the ground before turning into bloody piles. They didn't even turn to dust. They were still alive as they writhed on the pavement below, twitching and gasping for breath.

Like a child you began to run as soon as Lahash returned to your grip. The stomping of the army of spiders echoing just behind you along with the screeching of the falling demons around you. This alleyway was small. Too small. It felt like the walls were closing in on you, locking you in the confines of the alley. The narrow passageway became narrower and narrower and before you could think you swore both walls either side boxed you in.

No, you were _caged_ in.

It felt like you were running for eternity before reaching the street.

You ran but you couldn't tell where to. To Pecunia? To Domum? You didn't know, all you knew was that you had to run and run _fast._ All around you flames began to rise. Vinxit was on fire like the forest those years ago. The heat of the fire wafted in on a gust of wind, ash burning your lungs.

" _Your time isss up, angel! Sssubmit to Zepar!_ " A hissing, raspy voice of the arachnids called out to you. Their voices louder than the sounds of the city's inhabitants caught in the sudden blaze. Pushing past them felt like you were once again running through that cursed forest, but you kept running forward even as your vision turned to that of a fish eyed lens in a camera.

They were all dying in the sea of flame, just as the cultists had all those years ago.

They begged for mercy.

They cried out in confusion.

They prayed to their gods as they ran.

The hellbats and imps that were still alive and moving began to attack the masses of people as you pushed through the crowds. They were all clawing and biting at them, getting them out of the way or hunting them for fun you couldn't tell.

The pandemonium of it all made your heart beat faster, your throat become suddenly tighter and your vision blur a little. You knew why, but you had to press on. You came so far - you weren't going to think of what it all reminded you of. If you did you were as good as dead and killing that spider and running from the lounge would have been for naught. The city was completely over run with demons all because of _you_.

Another disaster, courtesy of your _blood_.

You knew the city after memorising the map of it endlessly, but you had to admit even you were somewhat lost. How many alleyways did you run down? How many hellbats and imps did you evade? Did the spiders give up their chase?

You dared not to look back.

Your feet hurt, your whole body ached and without a chance to sit and allow yourself to heal things would only keep getting worse. You knew you had to find the one thing that would help you escape, that has always been there to help you escape; your van. You'd find some way to turn it over and drive off and with the adrenaline in your veins you may just use your own strength to do it.

After running around like a headless chicken, you ended up back in the neighbourhood the spider destroyed, then made your way to the gate leaving the city. A ocean of abandoned cars lay before you just as you had left it earlier to kill the first spider, yet as you took steps into it's near endless expanse trying to seek your over turned van, you were tackled to the ground. A pair of arms gripped your waist and on your side you laid on the concrete with them around you. A flock of flaming hellbats went right over your head, screeching and cawing. You looked at your saviour for this near miss and weren't surprised to see it was the man in red. Trying to stand up was futile as he used his strength to keep you on the ground as a flock went by screeching over head.

Like a child you tried to bury your head in the concrete to try and hide. You thought you were ready for this, you swore when the day arrived you'd be able to take Zepar head on but here you were near crying like a kid again.

The flock disappeared and you struggled in the man's grip once they flew away out of sight. You Attempted to crawl away from red devil yet he tightened his hold. "Let go of me! _Let go of me!_ " You cried out desperately, clawing at his arms to have him release you yet he wouldn't relent. Without letting go he stood up, standing you up with him. Lahash fell from your hand. It disappeared into a dim golden light just before it hit the ground. Like fire flies, gold embers dissipated into the air as the weapon faded from existence.

A hand gripped your mouth and promptly you were dragged behind a flipped over broken car out of sight. You tried biting his hand but he gave you a glare as through the destroyed buildings the arachnids were beginning their search.

"If you want to make it out of here alive, Y/N," The red devil whispered in a soft yet authoritative tone. " _Keep quiet_. I don't want to hurt you." He looked at you not with the eyes of a demon, but with the eyes of a tired human and you almost believed his lie.

For now you had no where to go and not many options. What could you do? The lesser evil had you literally in his grasp and the bigger evil was currently trying to find you. Slowly you nodded in affirmation. He was a means to an end and once those over grown bugs were gone you'd make your escape. Even as you nodded that you would co-operate he kept his hands on you, a tight grip to ensure you wouldn't run. Escaping his grasp would be easy, surely he knew that, right?

Regardless if you're injured.

A chorus of stomping and hissing surrounded both of you. Your eyes scanned for any way to make an exit, but it wasn't only your eyes searching.

" _Come out come out wherever you are, little angel..."_ A sickly sweet demonic voice echoed throughout the chaos. The harrowing stomping of their many legs sending terror down your spine. " _We don't want to keep missstresss waiting now, do we?_ "

Keeping your breaths shallow while your lungs cried out for air was a hard thing to do. Clearly these bugs weren't deaf and with all of their eyes it would only be a matter of time before they found you both.

" _Her parlour is filled with all pretty things. Wrap you in silk we shall, gift you to lord Zepar we must_." Your heart pounded in your ears and whatever scream you wanted to let loose was muffled by the red devil's gloved hand. You wanted to run. Run as far away as possible. So far that neither human or demon would ever see you again.

" _Our reward will be great! Oh_ _angel_ ," The ground shook for a horrible moment. " _Why musssst you defy your fate?"_

The red devil mumbled something you couldn't quite catch as something drew closer. The foul stench of sulphur drawing ever nearer, the hiss of a beast looking for it's prey. It's shadow loomed over the wrecked car the red devil pulled you to for cover.

Many things happened at once in that very moment. The man let go of you to unholster one of his guns, which you took as the opportunity to break free by elbowing him in the stomach, yet taking a step forward you fell. The wreckage that provided cover was tossed aside by one of the now hundreds - possibly _thousands_ \- of spiders that came for your head.

Only for said spider to be run down by a silver jeep that swerved taking down two of it's legs before stopping short in front of the red devil. "You took your time!" He called out as the driver wound down the window. You were unsurprised to see it was the man in red's companion - the woman in white.

"Well, I'd have gotten here quicker if _someone_ told me they were going snooping and angel-napping. Maybe tell your partner in crime the plan before running off?" The woman in white retorted, firing a few shots at the downed spider. "Now hurry up and get in!" The woman in white yelled before the back door was flung open by the man. He picked you up once more by your waist and you protested, screaming out in vain catching the attention of every bug around you.

Unceremoniously he tossed you into the back before getting in himself, the driver already putting her boot down on the accelerator before the door was even shut.

This only sealed that they were after you and you alone when they watched you in the lounge. You wrestled with the passenger side door attempting to get it open but alas, like everything tonight, it wasn't going to go your way.

The jeep's engine was loud a it went through the destruction of the city and underneath many arachnid's legs. The woman was heading out the gate you were going to earlier, heading towards _Libertas_. You saw out the window the gate leading to the highway was locked and you thought once this car crashed that'd be it, all of you were dead. Surprisingly, the vehicle smashed through it without any problem.

Obviously, the spiders gave chase. In the rear view mirror you could see all of them charging at top speed after the vehicle. The man in red unwound the window and leaned out firing at them. His shots were clean going straight for their heads but it wouldn't get rid of them quick enough.

"They're determined! Got any more bright ideas or are you still not going to fill me in?" The driver called out.

"Take this next left," You shouted at her pointing where to go. "There's construction going on - you can lose them there!" Means to an end, you told yourself. The woman looked over her shoulder at you for a split second.

"Of course you'd know all your escape routes, huh?" Silently you accepted her to insult. She did as you suggested swerved to the left taking the exit.

Construction of a new bridge connecting Vinxit to another city was being built, though the project was only half way finished. It lay dormant for over three years due to politicians pocketing the money. Like you had guessed the spiders were losing the jeep, only the most determined ones continued their chase if they hadn't been shot.

The driver banged on the roof getting the attention of the red demon. "Hold on, we're gonna jump!"

You clung to the back seat and braced yourself for the landing. For what felt like hours the vehicle was in flight and for a moment you thought it'd never land on the other side. Gunfire followed the roar of the engine before finally, the unfinished bridge was met.

The pursuing arachnids fell to their demise unable to make the jump themselves and for a brief second you relaxed. The biggest threat was over.

Now you had to escape this new trap you found yourself in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason this chapter was so long was because I wanted to show that reader is a fighter, and what better way than to show that along with giving more information about her than by murdering a giant spider?
> 
> "Perditus" is Latin for "Lost". Not every place name in this story has a meaning but significant places do and I'll put the translation for each in the notes. Vinxit means "Chained up" or "Chains" in Latin as well. Jongvale, or rather just the 'Jong' in 'Jongvale' means "young" or "ones early years" in Dutch (I'm grasping at straws for that one because I had gotten the name from a generator as a temp but kinda grew attached to it.)
> 
> The districts in Vinxit "Domum" and "Pecunia" mean 'home' and 'coin' respectively. The city reader tried to drive to "Libertas" is a bit on the nose with "freedom", but will she be free now? Stay tuned 😉


End file.
